Happily Ever After
by Mosie1213
Summary: *Previously Titled: My Love, My Life* Sara Beth was the love of Lucas Scott's life. All of his plans for his life he centered around his life with her. How do you move on after tragedy strikes? Will Lucas ever be able to find happiness again? *Eventual Brucas* AN: I have been making many edits to this story and so I have decided to publish it again from the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

1

_**Happily Ever After**_

Lucas Scott wandered sullenly down the long hallways of Tree Hill Memorial Hospital. It had been the worst week of his life, when really it should have been the happiest week of his life. Just a few days ago he had welcomed his daughter into the world, but he had been forced to say goodbye to the love of his life. And it was all his fault.

It was his fault that Sara had gotten pregnant at only seventeen. It was his fault she had to suffer through a difficult pregnancy. She wouldn't have had that huge fight with her father. If it weren't for Lucas, Sara would still be alive.

The long hall came to an end when Lucas reached the nursery. As he peered in the window at his daughter, his eyes flooded with tears, and his insides surged with frustration and guilt. He turned away from the window, and he slammed his fist against the wall as the tears poured from his eyes.

"Why did this happen?" He sobbed. "Why did she have to die? Why her? Why not me instead? God….I just want to know why!"

Finally, Lucas wiped away his tears and looked back through the window. As he stared at his baby, he remembered his life before her…eight months before her.

Life had been so simple back then. The only worries Lucas had had were which plays his team was going to use in basketball, and making sure his homework was turned in on time. He was a straight A student, but he was in love…and that pulled him off track sometimes.

Lucas had been dating Sara Beth Morgan since freshman year of high school. She was the greatest person he knew. Sara was the head cheerleader and had won Best Choreographer at every competition. She was also class president and editor of the yearbook and newspaper. But her favorite activity had been being with Lucas…

_Happily Ever After_


	2. The Dance

_Lucas turned the corner of the hallway of Tree Hill High School. As he reached the double doors to the cafeteria for lunch, his best friend—and cousin—Nathan Scott yelled out to him. _

"_Hey Luke!"_

_He turned around and saw his cousin heading toward him. _

"_Hey, Nate," he said, clapping Nathan's hand when he'd come closer. "What's up?"_

_Nathan smiled and said, "I finally asked her out."_

_Lucas returned the smile. "No way! You finally got up the nerve to ask Haley James out on a date? My other best friend and your tutor? The girl you have been crushing on since sixth grade?"_

"_Yep, believe it or not, I finally did it. And she said she would love to and that she 'thought I'd never ask'."_

"_Way to go, man," Lucas said as he sat down at the nearest table._

"_Yeah, she's hot right?"_

"_Dude! Haley's like a sister to me. And besides…there is only one girl who I find hot."_

"_You'd better say that."_

_Lucas smiled and he turned around and saw the beautiful blond who had walked up behind them. _

"_Hey you," he said, wrapping his arms around Sara's waist. "I missed you."_

"_And I missed you," Sara replied. She slowly lowered her head to kiss him where he sat._

_Nathan watched them make out a few minutes before he finally said, "Geeze you two, cut it out! I know you're like, _in love_, but don't you think you two do that enough?"_

"_You're just jealous Haley hasn't kissed you yet," Lucas teased, smiling. _

"_Nice." Nathan chuckled and he stood up. "Actually, I think I will go find Haley and plan our big date. I'll see you two lovebirds later."_

"_Alright. See you at practice."_

"_Bye, Nate." Sara waved to Nathan before she took his seat at the table next to Lucas._

"_I'm glad he finally asked Haley out," she said, and Lucas looked over at her. "Those two have been flirting since puberty."_

_Lucas laughed, and after a few seconds he asked, "So do you still want me to sign us up for the after prom party on Saturday? Today is the last day to sign up if we still want to go."_

"_Actually, I thought we could go to Haley's party after."_

"_Sure, if that's what you want, " Lucas agreed. "As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy."_

* * *

_Lucas pulled into the driveway of 1213 Oak Tree Lane on Saturday night to pick up Sara for their Junior prom. He climbed out of his car, straightened his black tuxedo, and walked up the stone steps of the country cottage-looking house and rang the bell. A tall man with brown hair, modeling glasses answered the door._

"_Hello, Lucas," he greeted. "Come on in."_

"_Thank you, sir," Lucas replied as he stepped inside._

"_Sara will be down in a minute," Mr. Morgan informed him._

_A few minutes later, Sara came down the stairs in a long, periwinkle colored dress with a matching shawl dressed around her shoulders._

"_Wow…" Lucas gasped at the sight of her. "You look amazing, Sara."_

"_Thank you," Sara replied, blushing. "You look pretty dashing yourself."_

_Lucas swallowed and he stepped forward. _

"_Here," he said. He placed a purple corsage on her wrist. _

"_It's beautiful. Thanks." Sara kissed his cheek._

"_Shall we head out then?" Lucas offered his arm to Sara, but they were stopped before they could proceed to the door._

"_Not so fast," Mr. Morgan said when he stepped in front of them. "Sara, I want you home by midnight."_

"_But, Daddy…Haley is having a party with just a few of us girls and our dates after the dance. It is sort of an alternative after prom party for those of us who didn't sign up for the real after party."_

"_Will her parents be supervising?"_

"_Yes," Sara answered. "They will be home all night. You can call them if you want."_

_Her father was quiet as he considered the information. "Well, all right," he said. "But then you are to be home by one, no later. And I want you to call me when you leave the dance. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes, Daddy."_

"_Don't worry, Mr. Morgan," Lucas spoke. "I'll make sure she is home on time."_

"_Good. I am trusting you, both of you. Now, go on and have a good time."_

* * *

_ The dance had been enchanting and fun, as the them had been 'A Princess for a Knight'. The music, the food, and the decorations had all been great. But the night had come to an end around eleven o'clock, and it had been time for everyone to leave._

_ Lucas and Sara said goodbye to their friends as they left the hotel where the dance had taken place._

_ "So you guys are coming over to my house now, right?" Haley asked, holding Nathan's hand as they and Lucas and Sara walked out to the parking lot._

_ Sara glanced over at Lucas briefly. She smiled, then, and she said, "Actually, I think we're going to do something else."_

"_Okay, suit yourself," Haley replied, shrugging. "I'll see you guys on Monday."_

_Lucas and Sara waved goodbye to Nathan and Haley when they drove away from the hotel._

"_Hey, um…I thought you wanted to go to Haley's party," Lucas asked, slightly confused. "That's where we told your dad we were going to be. "_

"_Well, I changed my mind. I want to do something with you, Luke, just you. And as long as I call my dad and I am home by curfew, my dad will never know that we didn't go to Haley's."_

"_Yeah, until he calls and we're not there."_

"_He won't call. He knows I wouldn't lie to him."_

"_Oh, no…you would _never_ lie to him," Lucas said, rolling his eyes._

"_Come on, Lucas," Sara pleaded. "I know he won't call there because I told him everything he wanted to know. So can we please go do something alone now?"_

_Lucas nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "What does my girl want to do?"_

_Sara smiled. "Oh…" she spoke slowly. "I think you know…"_

_It didn't take long for Lucas to decipher from Sara's tone what she was suggesting._

"_Wait, Sara, we don't—_

"—_I want to," Sara interjected, wrapping her arms around him._

"_But I thought that we both decided that we wanted to wait until we are married?"_

"_I did, Luke. But only because I wanted to save myself for someone I am really in love with. And I know that I am in love with you, and you're in love with me, and that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together."_

_Lucas stared into Sara's amazing, bright blue eyes, and he said, "You know, you don't have to prove anything to me, right?"_

_Sara brought her lips to his. Then she ran her fingers across his cheek. "I know. I just want to be with you and to love you. Forever."_

"_Okay," Lucas agreed, smiling. "I want to be with you, too."_


	3. Unexpectations

_It had been a little over a month since prom night, and school was ending in less than a week. Lucas walked up to Nathan's locker when he saw him, after he had entered the hallway._

_ "Hey, Nate."_

"_Oh, hey, Luke," Nathan replied. "What's up?"_

"_Have you seen Sara yet today?"_

"_No, sorry," Nathan said, closing his locker. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"_

"_Well, she's been avoiding me, and she hasn't returned any of my phone calls all weekend."_

"_What's up with that?"_

"_That's what I'd like to know."_

"_Well," Nathan nodded and pointed toward the front doors," Here's your chance to find out."_

_Lucas turned and watched as Sara walked up to them with her arms crossed. She looked like she'd been crying, Lucas noticed._

"_Hi," she whispered._

"_Hey," Lucas returned. He stared at Sara as he tried to figure out what was wrong. "Are you okay?"_

"_I'll call you later, Luke," Nathan said. He glanced at Sara once more before he walked across the hall to Haley's locker._

"_Hey," Haley greeted when Nathan reached her. She accepted his kiss before she asked, "What's wrong with Sara?"_

"_I kind of thought maybe you might know," Nathan replied._

_Haley shook her head in response._

"_Well," Nathan said as they both looked back at their friends. "I haven't seen her like that in a really long time."_

"_I know," Haley agreed. "The last time she was that upset was after her mom and baby sister died, remember?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_I hope everything turns out okay, whatever it is."_

_Across the hall, Sara lowered her head and started crying again. Lucas cupped her face in his hands._

"_Baby, what's wrong?" He asked, but Sara did not answer. "Do you want to go outside?"_

_Sara nodded, and Lucas led her to a bench just outside the school building. It remained quiet a few minutes, and then Lucas spoke again._

"_C'mon, Sara…please tell me what is bothering you. I'm here for you, whatever it is."_

_Sara wiped the tears from her eyes and her cheeks and she looked at Lucas._

"_I think…"_

"_What?" He asked when she paused again._

"_Luke, I think I'm pregnant."_

_As she'd said those words, Lucas's expression changed from worry to shock. Every part of him began to sweat in fear, and he felt a lump form in his throat. When he finally managed to swallow, he spoke again. _

"_Whatg—um…are you sure?"_

"_I haven't taken a test yet or gone to a doctor, but I'm late, really later, and that has never happened before. I'm so scared, Luke. How could this happen? I mean we used protection. God, I'm just so scared."_

_She cried even harder into Lucas's arms. _

"_Shh…" he said soothingly, stroking her head. "It's going to be okay."_

"_You don't know that!" Sara snapped. "It won't be okay, Lucas. We are seventeen years old! We are not ready to be parents. I don't see how you can be so calm about this."_

"_Hey, Sara, just calm down, okay? All we can do at this point is just go and take a test, or a few tests even, to find out for sure, okay?"_

_Sara nodded, and Lucas stood up and reached for her hand._

"_Come on, let's go."_

* * *

_All three of the pregnancy tests turned out positive, and the doctor had confirmed it too. Now that he knew for certain that Sara was pregnant, the fear of premature parenthood had almost completely taken over Lucas. He was just as scared as Sara. He was only seventeen years old and still just a kid. How was he going to raise a child of his own? And the anxiety really took over Lucas and Sara when they realized they still hadn't told their parents._

_Lucas and Sara sat together on top of the picnic table at the river court. They held hands as they worried quietly together. After a long period of silence, Sara spoke. _

"_So how exactly are we going to tell our parents about this?"_

"_I don't know," Lucas replied, shaking his head. "How do you think we should tell them?"_

"_I wouldn't have asked if I knew, Lucas."_

"_Okay, okay. Let's have cool heads about this. We need to stay calm if we're going to get through this."_

"_I know. I'm sorry. I guess it doesn't really matter how we tell them. Either way, my dad is really going to freak out."_

"_Yeah, I can't imagine my mom will be too pleased either," Lucas agreed. "But I bet your dad will flip out more than my mom will, or worse at least."_

"_Tell me about it."_

_They sat in silence for a few more minutes as they watched a large boat pass on the river._

"_Okay," Sara spoke slowly. "I think the best way to do this is for you to tell your mom, and I should tell my dad."_

"_Okay," Lucas agreed. "But don't you think it'll be easier if we tell them together?"_

"_You know I do. But I also know how furious my dad is going to be, and I still want you alive after I tell him."_

"_Good point. So…when do we tell them?"_

"_Tonight. Let's tell them tonight."_

_Lucas took a deep breath in, and he said, "Well, let's both hope we live to see tomorrow, then."_

_Happily Ever After_


	4. Breaking the News

_With the exception of the rain pit-patting on the window, the Morgan house was silent. Sara and her father sat across from one another at the dinner table, and Sara was stiff in her seat, extremely nervous._

"_Sara Beth, are you okay?" Her father asked, concerned. _

"_Yeah," Sara answered quickly. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Because you haven't touched your dinner, and it's your favorite meal. And because you're wearing you're worried face."_

"_I just have a little stomach ache, but everything is fine. "_

_It had only been half a lie. Sara really did have a stomach ache, but everything was definitely not fine. _

"_You're sure?" Her father asked. _

_She hesitated. "Yes…I'm sure."_

_Her father then went on eating, but Sara continued staring at him, the same anxious expression she'd been wearing since she'd sat down. _

"_Actually, Dad," she finally spoke again. "There is something that I need to tell you."_

_Her father looked up at her. He studied her face for a long minute before he responded. _

"_Am I going to be upset with what you have to tell me?"_

_He continued to stare at her, searching for the answer to his question within her expression. Sara tried to answer without words as she stared back at her father, hoping that she wouldn't actually have to say it out loud. _

"_Well," her father spoke more sternly. "I think you'd better just tell me, Sara."_

"_I need you to promise me something first," Sara started, leaning forward. "Promise me that you won't love me any less after I tell you what I am about to tell. I really need to know that you'll still love me."_

"_Sara Beth." _

_She could tell that her father was growing impatient._

"_What is going on?" He asked._

_Sara swallowed once before she spoke._

"_I made a really big mistake, Dad. Lucas and I, we…"_

"_Oh Sara Beth," her father interrupted again. "Please…do not tell me that you are pregnant."_

_The expression she wore, the guilt etched on her face, did enough to answer his question._

"_I cannot believe this, Sara!" Her father exploded, shooting up from his seat. "What the hell were you thinking? How could you have gotten pregnant after all the talks your mother and I had with you? Did you not listen to us? Did you even hear a word we said?"_

"_Of course I did," Sara protested as she stood up._

"_So what then? You just decided not to listen? Is that it? Why didn't you use protection?"_

"_We did use protection, Dad. It just didn't work like we thought it was supposed to. And I am so, so sorry, Daddy"_

"_Well, 'sorry' is not going to reverse the mistake you've made, Sara Beth."_

_Her father sighed, and tears streamed down her face. Still, her father continued to lecture her. _

"_Look, I love you very much, Sara Beth. You know that. But this…this is not at all what I or your mother wanted for you. We wanted you to graduate high school and college first. We always believed you would fall in love and get married before you had children. But that dream I have for you, that your mother had for you…well, it's gone now."_

_Sara stood up from the table and moved so she stood across from her father._

"_I know, and I am really sorry," she said. "But I can still have a life, Dad. I can—I will—still graduate high school, and maybe I can even take some courses at the community college."_

"_Oh really? And how exactly do you plan to do that with a baby? It's not so easy to raise a child as you might think, and it will be even more difficult for you, Sara Beth because you yourself are still a kid."_

"_I'm not a kid. I'm young, yes. I know it will be hard. But that doesn't mean I can't do it. You and mom have always taught me to work hard for what I want. So if I want to have that life, I will work for it, just like I have worked for everything else in my life. And that is what I am going to do."_

"_Fine." Her father folded her arms. "But at this point, the only way you can have that life you are talking about is to have an abortion."_

"_What?" Sara gasped, staring at her father in shock. She couldn't believe he had really just made that suggestion._

"_I think the best thing for you now is just to get an abortion and put this behind you. You are too young to have a baby."_

"_No," Sara responded firmly. She shook her head. "Absolutely not. I don't want an abortion, Dad. I refuse. Lucas and I have talked about this, and we decided we want to take responsibility and raise the baby together. And I really don't understand why or how you could even stand here and demand that I get an abortion. How, Dad? After how hard you and mom tried to have a baby, how can you even suggest abortion as an option for me? How can you tell me to kill my baby after all the miscarriages mom went through?"_

_Her father didn't answer, but continued staring with his arms folded._

"_Oh wait…" Sara continued. She was angry now. "I get it. I guess you were relieved when she died in that car accident after she finally was pregnant. I guess you were hap—"_

"—_That's enough!" Her father shouted. He pointed at her, shaking his finger, furious. "You will not speak to me that way, and you will not talk to me about something you do not understand!"_

"_Then make me understand, Dad! Help me understand why you would have me kill my baby!"_

_Her father stared for a moment. His face was still full of anger and disappointment, but when he answered, his tone was even._

"_I cannot have a pregnant teenager for a daughter, and I won't. So…if you choose to go through with this pregnancy and have this baby, then you will not live in this house."_

_Sara did not have a response immediately, as she processed his words slowly and tried to decide how she was to respond to his hurtful statement._

"_You're kicking me out?" She spoke quietly, her tone soft and the hurt she felt evident in her voice. "You are really going to disown me for taking responsibility for my actions, for accepting the consequences of my mistake?"_

_Her father did not respond._

"_Fine," Sara continued when she realized he really was not going to answer her. She thought about turning and walking away then, but decided to say everything that she needed to say to him. _

"_You know, I can understand why you're angry, and even why you don't want a pregnant daughter. You don't want to be embarrassed with your friends or with the family. But I am not the only teenager in America, or even in this town who has ever gotten pregnant._

"_The only thing I cannot understand is why you would disown me. I made a mistake, but I am taking responsibility. As my father, you are supposed to love me unconditionally, and I really should not have to tell you that. People make mistakes, Dad. And I made the biggest mistake, getting pregnant before I was ready, but you are making a mistake too, probably what will be the biggest mistake of your life. I love you, Dad, and I don't want to lose you. But I won't get an abortion, and I know that mom would never want me to, no matter how disappointed she would be. Mom would still love me, and she would support me, be here for me._

"_Getting pregnant was something I could have prevented and I didn't. But having an abortion is not a solution. It is not an option. I am still a good person, Dad, despite my recent decisions. I am still me, and I am sorry that you refuse to see that."_

_Sara turned to walk away, but after taking a few steps, she turned back to her father again, staring at him once more. She could not believe he was really going to let her walk out of his life. He was her father. She didn't want to lose him, but what else could she do now but walk away?_

_It was all up to him now. And yet her father still did not say a word while she stared at him. So she turned her back to him, and she left him standing alone in the dining room, off to pack up her things while the tears ran down her cheeks._

* * *

"_How could you be so irresponsible, Lucas?"_

_Lucas watched his mother pace in front of him. He hadn't seen her this angry in a long time._

"_We weren't irresponsible, Mom," he said defensively. "We used protection."_

"_You were irresponsible, Lucas!" His mother stopped suddenly in front of him. "You had sex before you were married, before you've even graduated high school, and now Sara is pregnant. That _is_ irresponsible."_

_Lucas sighed. "Mom, please calm down. It's not like we planned on getting pregnant. It just…it just happened."_

"_I will not calm down! I never thought I would ever be having this conversation with you. This is very serious, Lucas."_

"_Don't you think I know that, Mom?" Lucas stood up from his spot on the couch. "I don't need you to tell me how serious this is."_

"_Oh, I think you do, Lucas." His mother stepped closer to him. "Your life is never going to be the same again. I hope you understand that."_

"_I do, Mom. You tell me all the time how much I changed your life."_

_Lucas sat down on the couch again. _

"_That is different, Lucas. Yes, I was irresponsible because Keith and I were not married when we had you, but we were out of high school and twenty years old, not seventeen. But this is not about your father and me. Lucas, I don't think you realize how difficult this is going to be for you and Sara."_

"_I do realize, Mom. And that's why I'm scared. Sara and I want to take responsibility and raise the baby, but I'm not so sure we can do it."_

_Lucas could not hold in his tears anymore and he felt one slip down his cheek. _

"_I'm not sure I can do what you and dad did, Mom. I don't know if I can raise a baby. I'm really, really scared."_

_His mother sighed. She moved over and sat down beside him. Hugging him close, she said, "I know you're scared, honey. It will be difficult for you and Sara. But you can do it. You can get through it together."_

_She cupped her son's head in her hands and continued._

"_I love you more than life itself and so did your father. And I am disappointed that you got yourself and Sara Beth into this situation, Lucas. But I am also proud of you for doing the right thing and standing by Sara, for taking responsibility for your actions. Keith would be proud of you for that, too. I will always love you, and I will always be here to support you. Whenever you need me, I'll be here."_

_Lucas smiled a little and he said, "I love you too, Mom. I really am sorry I disappointed you. I'll try not to do it again."_

_His mother chuckled and she hugged him again just as the doorbell chimed. Lucas stood up and walked over to open the door. Sara stood outside, crying and holding a duffel bag and suitcase._

"_Sara?" Lucas said worriedly. "What happened?"_

"_My dad…" she spoke slowly, trying to find her words through her sobbing. "He, um…he kicked me out."_

"_What?" Lucas responded, shocked. "Here, come inside. Tell us what happened."_

_He closed the door behind Sara and followed her and his mother over to the long, beige sofa. Karen sat on one side of Sara, and Lucas sat on the other side. _

"_What happened, Sara?" Lucas asked again._

_Sara sniffled before she explained. "I told my dad I'm pregnant, and he wanted me to get an abortion. And when I told him I wasn't going to get one, he told me I couldn't live in his house anymore."_

_Lucas pulled Sara into his arms and rubbed her back._

"_I am so sorry, baby," he said. _

_Sara pulled away after a minute. Karen held out a box of tissues and Sara took one. She looked at Karen when she spoke again. _

"_I'm sorry for just showing up like this, Karen. I know you must still be really angry about all of this, but I didn't know where else to go."_

"_It's okay, Sara," Karen said. "You know you are always welcome here. And yes, I am disappointed, but I think we might be able to work out some sort of solution to all this."_

"_Really?"_

"_What sort of solution, Mom?" Lucas asked._

_Karen glanced at her son before she answered. "Let's let Sara put on some dry clothes. Then we can talk it over."_

_So they worked out a plan. Karen agreed to let Lucas and Sara raise the baby under her roof and with her help, but under a few conditions. First, they would have to remain in school and graduate. Second, Lucas would work at his mother's café part time during school, and full time in the summer. And Sara would help out around the house until she could work. And lastly, if they did not abide by these conditions, they would have to leave._

_The next couple of months seemed to fly by after that. School had been out for two months, and fortunately, it had ended before everyone in school could figure out that Sara was pregnant. The only two people from school who did know was their best friends, Nathan and Haley. But once school started again it wouldn't be long before every other student knew too._

* * *

_Lucas and Sara waited anxiously in the doctor's office. The doctor had asked them to wait there following Sara's exam to go over blood tests. Finally, the doctor returned. _

"_I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she said. "But it took a little longer for the lab to return your results."_

"_Why?" Sara asked, worried. "Is something wrong?"_

"_Well, the blood tests indicate that you are anemic."_

_Sara glanced at Lucas. When she looked back at the doctor, she asked, "What does that mean exactly?"_

_The doctor leaned forward in her seat and explained._

"_Anemia is common in pregnancy. It's caused by an iron deficiency in your blood. It is most likely why you've been feeling more tired and weak-feeling than usual."_

"_Is it really serious, doctor?" Lucas asked._

"_No, not yet. The anemia shouldn't get any worse as long as you are compliant with the treatment."_

"_What's the treatment?" Sara asked._

"_Well to start, I am going to prescribe some iron supplements. Don't worry, they won't harm the baby. But it would also help you and the baby to eat healthy and take walks. Now, I must tell you that the treatment does not always work a hundred percent. There is still the possibility that you could deliver prematurely."_

_Lucas took Sara's hand and he asked, "Is there anything else we can do, or anything else we should know?"_

"_Not that I can see right now. So just take care of yourself, Sara, and everything should be fine, alright?"_

_Sara nodded. _

"_Okay, then." The doctor stood up and opened the door. "I will see you next month."_

_Happily Ever After_


	5. Two Months Later

_**TWO MONTHS LATER**_

_Sara had followed her doctor's advice and took the iron supplements prescribed for her. She and Lucas walked together at least once every day. Both of them had hoped that by doing all of these things, Sara and the baby would be okay. That became their biggest concern._

_Lucas glanced at Sara as he drove the two of them through town on their way to the doctor's office._

"_Are you okay, babe?"_

"_Yeah," Sara replied. "I'm just nervous about the appointment."_

"_Why? There's nothing to be nervous about, sweetie. You've been doing everything the doctor told you to do."_

"_I know, but I still feel like something isn't right."_

"_Everything is going to be fine."_

_A few minutes later, they'd arrived. Lucas held Sara's hand as they entered the brick building and walked down the hall to the last office on the right. _

"_Excuse me," Sara said to the clerk at the desk. "I have an appointment with Dr. Peterson. Sara Beth Morgan."_

"_Okay, let's see…" The clerk moved the mouse while she stared at the desktop computer. "Four fifteen, right? Dr. Peterson is finishing up with a patient, so if you'd like to have a seat, a nurse will be out shortly to bring you back."_

"_Thank you."_

_Sara waddled over and sat down next to Lucas. A few minutes later, they followed the nurse to the exam room. Not long after the nurse had obtained Sara's blood pressure and pulse and weight, the doctor entered the room._

"_Good afternoon," Dr. Peterson greeted. "How are you feeling, Sara?"_

"_I'm tired, and a little light headed today, but nothing much more than that."_

_The doctor nodded. "Okay. Why don't you go ahead and lie down and we will see how your baby is doing."_

_Sara laid back and the doctor pulled the sonogram machine over. Sara shivered when the doctor squeezed the cold, slimy gel onto her belly bump. Finally, Dr. Peterson turned on the machine._

"_Okay…" Dr. Peterson spoke as she adjusted the screen and volume. "We have a really clear picture, and the baby has a really strong heartbeat."_

_Lucas and Sara smiled at one another and at the screen. Lucas glanced at the doctor and asked, "She's healthy, right?"_

"_She sure is. Her weight is right on track, her heartbeat is perfect. I don't see anything that we need to be concerned about right now."_

"_Good," Sara said. She sighed a little. "That's really good."_

"_Yes it is. Now, I'd like to see if I can pull up the results of your blood tests and we can see how you are doing Mom."_

_Lucas and Sara waited in the office for Dr. Peterson to return with Sara's test results. They breathed sighs of relief when the doctor finally returned to the room._

"_Everything looks great, Sara," Dr. Peterson said. "Your condition has improved greatly."_

"_Really?" Sara responded, surprised._

_Dr. Peterson nodded. "Yes. Most pregnant women with anemia usually do recover if they take care of themselves."_

"_So we don't have anything to worry about anymore?" Lucas asked. He tried to sound hopeful when he spoke._

"_Well, nothing that I can see right now. However, you've still got about six weeks left, and you are a higher risk pregnancy. But you are doing fine, Sara, and so is the baby. I don't think you will have anything to worry about."_

* * *

_After work Lucas decided to shoot hoops with Nathan at the river court before heading home. It was the perfect day to be outside. The sun was shining and the wind was not too bad for a November afternoon._

"_Man, I am really kicking your ass!" Nathan shouted enthusiastically, catching the ball after he had made another basket. _

"_Fine. Let's just declare you the winner and go home," Lucas suggested. He picked up his dark blue Raven's duffel bag and large water bottle from the bench._

"_Awe, c'mon man!" Nathan pleaded. "The score is only ten-three, and the game is called twenty one."_

"_I know, but I should really get home and check on Sara."_

"_Is she okay?" Nathan asked as he carried the basketball and walked with Lucas, headed to the parking lot._

"_Yeah. She's just been really tired, and she's had this on and off headache for the past couple of days."_

"_When will she be back at school?"_

"_Not until a few weeks after the baby is born. She needs to rest. She's been so worried about the baby lately."_

"_Why? I thought the doctor said there wasn't anything else to worry about."_

"_No, actually the doctor said she didn't think there would be anything serious to worry about. But Sara is still a high risk pregnancy. And she's been stressing out about school and about getting ready for the baby. That isn't good for her or the baby. She needs to be home and just relax."_

"_I'm sure she'll be okay, Luke. I mean she's made it through everything else that has happened."_

"_Yeah. But if it weren't for me, she wouldn't be this stressed out. She'd be fine."_

_Nathan stopped walking. Lucas followed suit, and Nathan asked," Why do you say that?"_

"_Because it's true. If I hadn't gotten her pregnant, she wouldn't have any health problems or a baby to worry about. Her father wouldn't have kicked her out, and she would still be involved in cheerleading and all of her clubs, you know?"_

"_Sure…" Nathan agreed. He shrugged. "She would still be involved in all that after school stuff if she weren't pregnant. But it's not all your fault that she's not, Luke. You both made the decision to have sex, right?"_

"_Well, yeah, but—"_

"—_So you both made the decision. It's not just one person's fault. And Sara will be fine and less stressed out after the baby is born. She won't have worries like she has now. So stop blaming yourself, okay? Everything is going to be fine. You just have to have faith."_

_Lucas stared at Nathan for a moment, taking in what he'd said. He smiled a little and said, "Thanks, Nate. You're a great friend."_

"_I know," Nathan replied, smiling. "So are you."_

* * *

_The house was silent when Lucas walked in. He put his bag down next to the coat rack by the front door and threw his keys on the table._

"_Sara, I'm home!" He bellowed as he walked down the hall to his and Sara's bedroom._

_But Sara was not there. He walked back down the hall and entered the kitchen. He found a note on the refrigerator and he read it:_

Lucas,

I tried calling you at work, but you had already left. I took Sara to the hospital. Get down there right away.

_Immediately, Lucas ran back through the house, snatched his keys from the table, and he raced to the hospital. He found his mother in the waiting room of the maternity ward._

"_Mom!" He shouted, running over to her. "Where's Sara? Is she okay?"_

"_Calm down, honey," his mother replied. "Sara's fine. She's just in labor."_

"_Where is she? What room?"_

_Doctor Peterson walked by. _

"_Lucas," she said when she saw him. "You're here. Sara's ready to deliver."_

"_Can I be with her?"_

"_You sure can," she replied. "Follow me."_

_Lucas glanced at his mother as he followed the doctor to the delivery room._

"_Good luck!" His mother yelled to him just before he walked through the double doors._

* * *

"_You're doing great, Sara," Dr. Peterson said in the delivery room an hour later. "Just one more big push and you should have this baby out."_

"_I can't do it," Sara panted, out of breath and exhausted. _

"_Yes you can, baby," Lucas encouraged. "You can do it. You have to. You're almost there. Just one more push, and the baby will be here."_

_Sara began to push again._

"_That's it, Sara," Dr. Peterson said. "Keep pushing…you're almost there."_

_Finally, Sara rested back on her pillows, and she loosened her grip on Lucas's hand when she felt the baby leave her. She smiled when she heard the baby start to scream. Dr. Peterson held the screaming newborn up for the parents to see._

"_Congratulations, Sara Beth, Lucas. You have a beautiful baby girl."_

_Lucas smiled and kissed Sara's head. "You did it, baby," he said. "I'm so proud of you."_

_Sara smiled slightly and looked over at Lucas. She was so weak, he noticed. Sara slowly reached her hand up and touched his cheek, and she uttered, "I love you."_

_Lucas's smiled faded when he watched Sara's eyes close and her hand fell, limp at her side. _

"_Sara? Sara, wake up!" He tried to shake her awake. Nurses and the doctor rushed over to his side._

"_Sara Beth?" Dr. Peterson shouted, also trying to wake her while Lucas continued to panic and resist the nurses as they tried to move him away. "Nurse, get me Dr. Nelson in here right away!"_

"_Sara, wake up!" Lucas shouted. He turned to the doctor. "What's wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?"_

"_Lucas," Dr. Peterson said to him. "I need you to wait outside while we try and help Sara."_

"_But…"_

"_Lucas, we can't help her while you're in here."_

_With heavy tears, Lucas followed the nurse outside of the room._

* * *

_Lucas paced back and forth down the hall, still waiting to see if Sara and his baby were okay. His mother sat in a chair by the wall next to Nathan and Haley._

"_Lucas, honey," she said. "You're wearing a track in the floor. Why don't you sit down?"_

"_I can't sit right now. It's been over an hour, Mom. What's happening in there? Why hasn't anyone told me what's going on?"_

"_I don't know, honey."_

_Finally, the doctor appeared through the double doors. Karen, Nathan and Haley stood up next to Lucas when the doctor approached them._

"_What's going on?" Lucas demanded. "What happened in there? Is Sara okay? Is the baby okay?"_

"_Calm down, Lucas," Peterson replied._

"_No, I won't calm down! I haven't seen my daughter yet, and I have no idea what is happening with Sara."_

"_Your baby is fine, Lucas. She's normal, she's healthy."_

"_Okay…" Lucas nodded. "What about Sara? Is she okay?"_

_Dr. Peterson hesitated before she answered. "We think that Sara had an aneurysm."_

_She glanced at Karen, Nathan, and Haley. She looked back at Lucas and finished. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. We did everything we could."_

_He went completely numb when she said those words. Tears filled his eyes again, and Dr. Peterson finished explaining._

"_The strain of labor and pushing must have caused the aneurysm to rupture. I know this must be very difficult to understand, Lucas, but…"_

"_You're right, I don't understand!" Lucas exploded. "How did you not see this coming? Shouldn't you have seen this before?"_

"_There are rarely symptoms for aneurysms, and they are like to rupture due to stress or some other physical strain on the body. There's nothing we could have done."_

_Karen stepped up and pulled her son into her embrace, allowing him to cry on her shoulder._

"_I'm very sorry for your loss," Dr. Peterson said before slowly stepping back and walking away._

**AN: We have caught up to where the story began, so the next update we will be back in present time. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. Your thoughts are very much appreciated and keep me motivated. So thank you! I know many of you are anxious to know when Brooke will enter the story. I promise she will be here soon ;) Thanks again!**


	6. The Funeral

It had been three days since Sara died, and Lucas was tired. He was tired of people telling him how sorry they were. Sure, it was a nice gesture, but it didn't make him feel any better. And it was not going to bring Sara back. But…he was going to have to endure many more people telling him how 'sorry' they were, as today family and friends were gathering to say goodbye to Sara.

Lucas sat on a sofa across from Sara's open casket. His mother stood by the doors, thanking people for coming as they entered.

"Hey, Aunt Karen," Nathan greeted when he arrived with Haley and his parents.

"Hello, Nathan, Haley," Karen replied. "How're you doing?"

Haley sniffled before she answered. "We're just taking it slow, you know…day by day. Sara was a good friend, a great friend. I'll miss her forever."

Karen offered a sympathetic smile, and she pulled Haley into a hug. Nathan looked over at his cousin then back at Haley and his aunt.

"How is Luke doing?" He asked.

In response, Karen turned and looked over at her son. She watched sadly, and she sighed before she answered.

"Not well. But I guess that's to be expected. I felt the same when his father died."

"I wish there were something we could do to make this easier for him," Haley said.

"So do I," Karen agreed, staring at her son sitting alone on the sofa. "But all we can do for now is just be here for him. Why don't you two go over and let him know that you're here. And maybe you can try and get him to say goodbye to her. I can't seem to convince him to do that."

Haley nodded and reached for Nathan's hand.

"We'll try," Haley promised. Then, she and Nathan walked over and sat down on either side of Lucas.

"Hey, man," Nathan spoke first. "How're you doing?"

"Hmph," Lucas sniffed, irritated. He looked up at his friends. I'm really tired of people asking me that. I'm fine."

Haley glanced at Nathan, and then she rested her hand on Lucas's knee.

"Hey, Luke…" she spoke softly. "Do you think you might want to come with Nathan and me to say goodbye to Sara?"

Lucas looked over at the casket, and he felt a surge of pain and thoughts of Sara flood through him again.

"I can't," he finally answered. He stood up from the couch. "I can't go over there."

"Luke, you need to say goodbye, man," Nathan said. "You're going to regret it if you don't."

"I said no!" Lucas responded, firm and agitated. He threw his hands in the air. "I'm just…I'm not ready."

Without another word, Lucas turned and walked away.

"Well, we tried," Haley said through a sigh, watching her friend walk away. "Maybe he will go over later."

Lucas walked quickly toward the door. He glanced around at the random people in the room. He found his mother among the strangers, and he stopped walking when he noticed another familiar face sitting near his mother, with an older woman his mother's age who also looked a little like Sara's mother.

He turned around and started slowly toward them. As he approached, the first familiar face looked up and noticed him too.

"Peyton Sawyer?" Lucas called out, after he searched his memory for her name.

"Hey, Lucas," she responded. She stood up to hug him. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed, nodding. "I haven't seen you in years."

"I know." Peyton nodded and glanced down at her feet. She looked up at Lucas and continued. "I, um…sort of lost touch with Sara Beth for a little while after my family moved and Aunt Beth died."

There was a brief moment of silence between them, and then Peyton said, "I'm really sorry, Luke. Sara Beth was a wonderful person and my favorite cousin. We were best friends when we were little. I will miss her a lot."

Lucas tried to keep listening as Peyton spoke about Sara, but it was too hard. It was too soon to talk about her in the past tense, too soon to talk about her at all. He missed her so much. He wished that she were here right now. He longed to simply hold her in his arms again, and to look into her—No! He couldn't do this. It was too much. He was going to break.

"Well, um," he choked out the words. "T-Thanks for coming. Excuse me…"

He quickly turned away and left the showroom, heading for the restroom. Once inside, he turned on the faucet at the sink, and he splashed cool water onto his face. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror. Every one of his memories of Sara and him together overwhelmed him, and he watched himself begin to crack again.

Lucas pushed away from the counter in frustration. He backed up against the wall, and slowly he allowed himself to slide down and rest on the floor. And for the first time since he'd learned of Sara's death, he let go of everything he was feeling and cried.

"Why does this have to hurt so much?" He sobbed. "Sara…Sara, why did you leave me? Why?"

Frustration changed to anger suddenly, and Lucas pounded his hands against the carpeted floor.

"I love you so much, and you left me! Why? Why, why? I just…I miss you so much."

He moved his hands to his face and he continued to sob. After a few minutes, the door opened and Nathan stepped inside.

"Lucas?" He said when he saw his friend on the floor. He walked over and knelt down next to him. "You okay, man?"

Lucas looked up at his cousin and friend. Trying to control his tears, he did not respond.

"You want to talk about it?" Nathan asked.

Lucas shook his head. Nathan nodded and sat down next to him. After a few minutes, Lucas finally did speak.

"It just hurts so much, ya know?"

Nathan looked at him without responding. He waited for Lucas to continue.

"I love her so much. I just don't want to believe that she's really gone. I never thought anything like this would ever happen."

"Nobody does, man," Nathan said. "That's just how we live because there are so many good things left in the world to live for."

Lucas sniffled. He wiped away his tears before he responded.

"Yeah, well, Sara was the only thing I had to live for. I don't have anything now."

"Yes you do, Luke. You have your daughter to live for. She needs you, and right now you need her. And you still have your mom, and me and Haley. We will always be here for you, Luke."

Lucas nodded. He was silent while he tried to process his thoughts. Then, he said, "But I still feel like a large part of me is missing without her. I have this big, empty hole in my heart. I miss her so much."

"I know you do." Nathan placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We all miss her. Sara may not be here with us physically anymore, but she's still here. She'll always be with us in spirit and in our hearts. And as long as we remember her, she will never leave us. Not really. And on top of that, you will always hold a part of Sara in her daughter. She is a part of you always through the child you made together. There is no way she can ever leave you."

It was quiet for the next minute as Lucas considered his friend's words. He looked at Nathan and said, "Thanks, Nate. I still feel so lost right now, but that helps. I needed to hear that."

Nathan nodded and replied, "I'm glad I could help. So…do you think you're ready to say goodbye to her now?"

Lucas took a deep breath in and exhaled. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "No. I'll never be ready. I can never let Sara go. But you're right. I do need to say goodbye."

"Come on then," Nathan said, standing up. "We'll do it together."

He reached for Lucas's hand and helped pull him to his feet. They left the restroom together, and they walked back to the showroom and over to Sara Beth's casket. Haley and her parents were there saying their goodbyes.

As she turned to walk away, Haley saw both Nathan and Lucas and she smiled a sad smile.

"Hey, Luke."

"Hey," Lucas said. For the first time—he'd been too afraid, too angry and confused to do it before—he glanced in at Sara's lifeless body.

When he looked back at his friends, he asked, "Do you think maybe I could have a few minutes to myself? To say goodbye?"

"Oh, of course," Haley replied. She took Nathan's hand when he offered it, and they followed her parents to the sofa on the left side of the room.

Slowly, Lucas knelt down in front of the casket. For a few minutes, all he did was stare at her, taking in her beauty for the last time. Even in death, Sara was still as beautiful as the day he'd met her.

"Hey Sara," he finally spoke. "I'm sorry it has taken me so long to come over here and see you. I guess I was just afraid I wouldn't be able to stop crying. But now I know that you'll always be with me, and that I will always have a part of you because I still have our baby, our little girl.

"I want you to know, Sara, that I am always going to love you, and I'm always going to love our baby. I promise you that I am going to take care of her and love her. I will always, _always_ be there for her, even if she makes a million mistakes. I will never do to her what your father did to you. She will always be able to count on me."

"Are you sure about that?"

Lucas heard the familiar, deep voice behind him and he turned. He saw the man who had spoken, and he stood up slowly.

"Mr. Morgan," Lucas started, but then trailed off, unsure what to say.

"How can you promise that you'll never get angry?" Mr. Morgan asked, his brow furrowed.

"I can't promise I'll never get angry," Lucas answered. "But I can promise that I'll never disown my daughter or hurt her like you hurt Sara. I will love her unconditionally, like a father is supposed to do."

"And just how do you know what it is to be a father? You've only been one for three days."

"My father taught me," Lucas replied, growing irritated himself. "He loved me. And I love my daughter already. And I will make a much better father than you did. You didn't even love your daughter when she needed it most."

Mr. Morgan stepped closer to Lucas, stirring the attention of the people around them as he spoke even louder now.

"Just because I wasn't there, does not mean I didn't love her. I loved Sara Beth more than anything. I loved her so much, I wish you had died instead of her."

Across the room, but not too far away from Sara's casket where Lucas and Sara's father stood, Nathan and Haley were watching the confrontation unfold. When Mr. Morgan stepped closer to Lucas, Nathan and Haley both stood up.

"I think we should get my Aunt Karen and maybe my parents," Nathan suggested.

"I'll go," Haley offered before walking away.

Nathan looked back at Lucas as he continued in his argument with Mr. Morgan.

"If you loved Sara as much as you say you did," Lucas continued heatedly, "then you would have been there for her, supported her. But you turned your back on her in her time of need. I know enough about parenting to know that real loving, caring fathers stand by their children no matter what."

"Lucas," Nathan interjected when he approached. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, you don't need to do this."

"Why don't you just mind your own business," Mr. Morgan snapped. "This is between Lucas and me."

Mr. Morgan looked back at Lucas and continued.

"You're right, Lucas. I wasn't there for Sara like I should have been. But it is not as bad as what you did to her."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked, angry.

"Luke, come on, man, "Nathan said, pulling on his shoulder, hoping to stop the argument from escalating. "Don't let him get to you. Sara wouldn't want this."

Lucas looked at Nathan. He stared at him for a moment. Then, he looked back at Mr. Morgan and stepped away from him.

"Never mind," he said when he stepped back. "You're right, Nate. Sara would not want us fighting or arguing like this."

"Frank Morgan!"

Lucas turned around at his mother's voice. She and Haley had just approached behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?" His mother shouted at Sara's father. "Why are you behaving this way at your daughter's funeral?"

"Don't start, Karen," Frank responded. He was glaring. "I'm just acting like any other grieving father."

"No you're not, Uncle Frank," Peyton interjected. She and her mother had walked up behind Karen and Haley. "You're acting like an idiot. How do you think your daughter would feel if she knew how you are behaving right now?"

"How do you think Beth would feel?" Peyton's mother added, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

Frank stared at his niece and sister in law without responding. He looked back at Lucas and said, "You know what, I don't care what any of you think about how I'm acting. I am mourning my daughter's death and putting the blame on who it belongs."

"There is no one to blame," Karen said. "Nobody could have stopped Sara's death."

"Yes, there is someone to blame," Frank argued. "That son of yours is to blame. If he hadn't gotten my daughter pregnant, she would still be alive. You know that too, don't you, Lucas?"

Mr. Morgan paused to look at Lucas straight in his eyes.

"It should be you in that casket, Lucas," he said. "I wish it were. Your life should be my daughter's, and I will never forgive you for this. I'll never forgive you for killing her. Never!"

Frank pushed himself through the crowd that had gathered, everyone watching as he stormed out of the funeral home.

"Don't even take to mind what he said, Lucas," Nathan said. "The guy is a jerk."

"He's right," Peyton agreed. "Sara Beth's death isn't your fault."

"I know," Lucas replied, nodding.

Though everyone tried to assure Lucas that Sara's death was not his fault, Lucas could not help feeling that there was some truth to what Mr. Morgan had said. Though the doctor had told him that Sara's aneurysm could not have been predicted, Lucas still felt like her death was, at least in part, his fault. Maybe that feeling would pass, and maybe it wouldn't. Only time would tell.


	7. Eight Years Later

**PART TWO: **_**EIGHT YEARS LATER**_

"Cadence Elisabeth Scott!"

Lucas hollered up to his daughter from the kitchen. "I'm not going to tell you again. You're breakfast is getting cold, and you're going to be late for school!"

Karen was in the kitchen with her son. She smiled at him as she closed the door to the refrigerator.

"Still struggling with that tie?" she asked, walking over to him.

"I just can't get it straight," Lucas replied, continuing to fidget with the red tie on top of his white collared, button down shirt.

"Here, let me help," his mother offered. She set the glass of juice down on the table, and Lucas moved his hands to let her assist.

"So what is today's interview for?" His mother asked when she finished the tie.

"Um, something in computers," Lucas answered just before taking a sip of his coffee.

He heard his mother sigh.

"Oh, Lucas," she said softly. "That's not what you really want to do, is it?"

Lucas took a deep breath, calming himself when he sensed his irritation building.

"Mom, we've talked about this before. What I want, I don't have the education for."

"But Lucas—

"—Mom," Lucas interjected, throwing up his hands. "I don't have time to argue about this again right now. Cady!"

"Stop yelling, Daddy," the little girl with blue eyes said as she appeared in the kitchen. "I'm here."

Her short, sand blond hair bounced as she ran to the table.

"Yeah, well, you'd better hurry and scarf down some breakfast because you're going to be late."

"That's fine with me," Cady replied before she drank from the juice cup in front of her.

"Ha ha, very funny," her father said. He grinned and tickled her side, eliciting a giggle. "Why don't you just grab some Poptarts and eat in the car. We have to go."

"Okay." Cady turned to her grandmother. "Will you get them for me, Nana?"

"Sure, sweetie." Karen reached into the cupboard and pulled out cherry frosted Poptarts, wrapped in its silver packaging.

"Thank you, Nana."

"Okay, Squirt, we gotta go," Lucas said, holding out her purple backpack.

"Okay, Dad." Cady turned around, and Lucas slipped on her book bag.

"Oh!" Cady said, spinning around quickly. "Where's my soccer stuff?"

"It's in the car. Now come on, let's go!" Lucas turned and smiled at his mother. "I'll see you later."

"Okay, honey." Karen waved to both of them as they walked out the door.

"Bye, Nana!"

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Lucas caught up with his best friend, who rode in the passenger seat while Lucas drove to pick up his daughter from school.

"Cady is going to be really excited to see you," he said, glancing at Nathan.

"What, you didn't tell her I was coming?" Nathan asked.

"No. I thought it would be a nice surprise if you were here when I picked her up."

Lucas slowed the car, and he pulled into the long drive in front of Tree Hill Elementary.

"Cool," Nathan said. "I'll wait in the car while you go get her."

"Alright," Lucas said, switching the gear to park and removing his seat belt. "I'll be right back."

Lucas left the car, and he slowly made his way toward the soccer field on the side of the building. He spotted his daughter laughing with her friends. He smiled and an image of her mother flashed through his head. Cady was certainly the spitting image of Sara in everything she did and in every aspect of her personality, right down to her tiny, but infectious laugh.

Suddenly, she turned away from her friends and looked toward Lucas.

"Hi, Daddy!" she shouted, waving to him.

"Hey, Squirt," he responded, approaching her. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Cady held up her light purple duffel bag and her father took it from her.

"Let's go," she said. "I'm beat!"

Before leaving, she turned to her friends and waved.

"Bye Alex, bye Jenna!"

Her friends waved back and then Cady walked with her father, headed back to the car.

"How was practice?" Lucas asked, one hand in the pocket of his black slacks, Cady's duffel on his shoulder, and the other hand cupped in his daughter's hand.

"Oh it was great!" Cady answered excitedly. "Coach McPhee says I'm a natural. I scored every goal I kicked!"

"Wow, that's great. It sounds like you are definitely ready for the game tomorrow."

"Heck yeah!" Cady shouted. She looked ahead again and spotted her father's car in the parking lot.

"Hey," she said, "who is that in the car, Daddy?"

"What? You don't recognize him?" Lucas asked, smiling down at his daughter. "He just drove all the way from Charleston to see you."

He watched her face light up as she realized who it was.

"Nathan!" She exclaimed, releasing her father's hand and running over to the car.

Hearing the little voice call his name, Nathan smiled and climbed out of the car. He closed his door just as Cady reached him He opened his arms for her, and she ran into him.

"Hey kid," he greeted. He lifted her up in their embrace. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Cady replied. Nathan set her back down, and Lucas finally arrived at the car.

"But I've missed you," Cady admitted. "Where have you been, Nate?"

"Busy."

"Okay, Cady," Lucas said. "Let's get going."

He opened the door to the backseat of the passenger side of his black truck.

"Get in and buckle up please, Squirt."

Cady followed her father's direction and climbed in while Nathan returned to the front seat.

"Where's Haley?" Cady asked as her father drove them away from the school.

"She had to stay in Charleston for work and to finish up some last minute wedding plans. But…she told me to tell you that she misses you like crazy and she can't wait to see you next weekend."

Nathan turned to Lucas then and said, "You guys are still coming, right?"

"Oh yeah," Lucas answered, turning the truck onto a residential street. "We wouldn't miss it."

"Yeah, and I can't wait to be your Flower Girl!" Cady added. "Does Haley have a dress for me yet?"

"Yep," Nathan answered. "She's going to have you fitted before the wedding when you guys get down there."

"Cool." Cady looked out the window as they arrived home.

"Okay, Squirt," her father said, turning to her after he had parked. "Go take your stuff inside and change out of those dirty clothes. We're going to have dinner at the café with grandma."

"Sweet!"

After dinner, Lucas left Cady with his mother so that he and Nathan could spend some time at the river court as they always did when Nathan was home. After high school, Nathan and Haley had both moved to Charleston to attend college. Both of their majors in college had led to internships and jobs in Charleston. Sometimes it made Lucas sad that his best friends had been able to move away for school and work. He missed them often, but he was grateful that Charleston was not too far away that they were able to visit each other occasionally.

"Damn!" Lucas said after Nathan made another basket in the hoop.

"Ah, just like old times," Nathan said, grinning.

"Yeah, well, I'm just out of shape," Lucas defended, trying to catch his breath and wiping his sweaty brow with his t-shirt. "I haven't had much time to get out here and practice lately, what with work and Cady and preparing for that interview."

"How'd that go anyway? The interview?"

Lucas shrugged. "The interview was okay, but I don't think I'm going to get the job."

"Why not?"

Lucas sighed. It was the same old story.

"Not enough education," he said

"I'm sorry, man. But you know, maybe it's a good thing you didn't get the job."

Lucas stopped and looked at his cousin and friend with a furrowed brow.

"How is it a good thing?" He asked.

"Well, because now maybe you can go after the career you really want, that you have always wanted."

"Nathan, come on…don't you start too."

"I'm sorry, Luke, but you're my cousin, not to mention my best friend, and I want to see you happy."

"I am happy."

Nathan shook his head in response. "Not as happy as you could be, as you want to be," he said. "Luke, when we were in high school, you talked all the time about literature, and how you planned to become an English teacher. Don't you remember that dream?"

"Yeah, I do, but—

"—So why don't you do what you've always wanted to do? Cady is older now. You could take classes while she's in school, or take night classes. Why don't you go to college and work toward that teaching degree you've always wanted?"

"I can't afford college right now, Nathan, nor do I have the time for it. I have an eight year old to support, and whatever spare time I get after working two jobs, I spend with her. It was only after a year of working my ass off that I even saved enough vacation time to take this week off for your wedding."

Lucas glared at his friend. Frustrated, he continued, "And you know, I am really tired of explaining this over and over again. My dreams and my plans changed the day Cady was born. I'm happy with my life right now, okay? So can we please not talk about this anymore?"

Nathan nodded. "I'm sorry, Luke," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you. It's just…I'm worried about you."

"Thanks, but you don't have to be. I'm fine. And I am happy."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

* * *

Late the following day, Nathan arrived back home in Charleston.

"Hales?" He called when he entered their apartment. "I'm home."

He closed the door and set his duffel bag down. When he looked up, he saw Haley walking out from their bedroom down the hall, smiling.

"Hey, sweetie," she said as they moved closer. She hugged and kissed him. "I missed you."

"Oh, I missed you too," Nathan said. "So did you get everything finalized?"

"Yep," Haley said, smiling again. "Everything is all set and perfect for me to marry you this weekend."

"Great. I can't wait." Nathan smiled before he kissed Haley again.

Afterwards, they sat down and cuddled next to one another on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"So is Luke definitely going to make it to the wedding?" Haley asked, running her finger up and down Nathan's arm.

"Yep," Nathan answered. "He, Cady, and Karen will all be here. What about Peyton? Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah. She'll be here too, and she is bringing a friend."

"Cool. Anyone we know?"

"Sort of. We've met her before I think. Her name is Brooke, and she was with Peyton that last time she came to visit. She also lived in Tree Hill once upon a time."

"Oh yeah…I remember. Doesn't she live back in Tree Hill now?"

"You know what," Haley paused, nodding her head. "I think I remember her mentioning that. Hmm…maybe we will have to introduce her to Lucas. He might not remember her."

"Definitely. Luke can certainly use a friend close to home."

"I agree," Haley said. "And if Brooke moved back recently, she probably hasn't made too many friends yet. It's perfect."


	8. The Wedding

The weekend arrived quickly. The day before the wedding Nathan was working to straighten up the apartment in preparation for their three guests, while Haley was out with her mother and bridesmaids for brunch.

"So are you guys on your way then?" Nathan asked through the phone.

"We will be soon I hope," Lucas answered, tossing two large suitcases into the back of his truck. "I had a hard time getting Cady up this morning as usual, so we are running a little late. But we will be there."

"Good. Haley and I are really glad you're able to make it."

"Oh yeah?" Lucas said. He smiled at his end, resting on the bed of his truck. "Why is that?"

"Well, you know…you _are _our best friend. We could never imagine you not being at our wedding. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Lucas nodded. "And?" He pressed.

Nathan smiled now, realizing he wasn't fooling his friend. Lucas knew him too well.

"And…we sort of have this friend we want you to meet."

Lucas's smile faded. For an instant, Sara's face flashed through his head.

"I don't know about that, man," he responded.

Lucas heard his cousin sigh.

"Look, Luke," Nathan said. "I know you still miss Sara Beth. We all do. And I know you're still in love with her, but you need to move on with your life. You need to get out there and meet new people, start dating again."

"I don't know if I can, Nate."

"Sara would want you to, Lucas. She would want you to be happy and find someone who will love you like she did."

Lucas exhaled sharply. "Maybe. I know she would want me to be happy, but I am not sure that I'm ready to find someone else. And to be honest, I don't think I feel much like looking. And even if I were ready, that doesn't mean that this 'friend' you want me to meet is going to be that person for me, Nate."

"Maybe not," Nathan agreed. "But meeting her is a start, isn't it? And you've got to start somewhere, with someone. Come on, Luke. Really…what will it hurt to just meet her, maybe talk to her?"

Lucas was silent as he considered that. Besides Nathan and Haley, his mother and coworkers, he really didn't talk to many people—adults that is. He was still in love with Sara, and he was certain that he always would be. So the thought of dating someone else really never entered his mind until now.

It scared him a little, the thought of moving on. But he could still meet new people, he decided. He could make friends. That would be okay. Since he was still in love with Sara, he didn't have to worry about having feelings for anyone else. Plus, though he wasn't sure he was really ready to date anyone, he had to admit that he did get lonely sometimes. So what would it hurt?

"I guess you're right," Lucas answered. "It wouldn't hurt to meet her. I could at least maybe make a friend."

"Hey, don't sound so nervous, okay? It'll be fine, and you will be fine. Now hurry up that family of yours and get here. Haley can't wait to see you."

* * *

The ceremony was perfect. Nathan and Haley were married in a local Charleston church, down the street from Haley's grandparents' home where the reception was being held. The old, red brick home was set on acres of land that seemed to go on for miles, when in fact, it only went as far as the Clear River. Still, it was a beautiful scene, especially for a wedding.

A large white party tent was set up on the land, a wood dance floor and portable stage situated inside the tent. Several guest tables were set around the flooring and stage, and each table was decorated with a white table cloth. Center pieces on the tables included a small vase of purple flowers surrounded by tea candles. Purple lanterns were strung along the sides of the tent, helping to set a romantic mood. All of the decorations were beautiful, exactly how Haley had wanted and hoped it to be.

At the start of the reception, Lucas sat at the head table with the other groomsmen and bridesmaids, who all happened to be Haley's six older siblings. He smiled as he watched his best friends' begin their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Scott. Nathan twirled Haley and pulled her back into his arms. Lucas remembered doing the same with Sara the last time he had danced with her at their junior prom.

Other couples began to join Nathan and Haley on the dance floor, and Lucas wished that he could be out there too. Of course, he really wanted to have Sara there with him so they could dance together again. But he was painfully aware that he would never get that chance again. However, as he watched many of the guests dance with their significant others, Lucas could not deny that he missed the companionship of a woman. He had to admit that, though he wasn't sure he was quite ready to try dating again, he did hope to someday have a nice, beautiful woman to dance with him, and to just talk with, to share his thoughts and worries, and life in general with. He still loved Sara and he always would, but it was moments like these—around other couples—that reminded him that he was lonely.

"Well, hey stranger."

A familiar voice interrupted Lucas's thoughts. He looked up, and he smiled at the curly blond.

"Peyton Sawyer," he said, standing up. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah," Peyton agreed, walking closer. "I've been a very busy girl."

Lucas chuckled. "I understand that."

They embraced one another briefly. Then, Lucas said, "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, it is good to see you, too. So…how is my little cousin doing?"

Lucas smiled and nodded as he responded.

"Cady, she is doing great." He glanced over at the dance floor, and he nodded once toward his daughter who was laughing as she danced with Karen, Nathan, and Haley. "And she is so full of life, just like her mom was."

Peyton smiled. She looked back at Lucas, and she said, "She's beautiful like her momma too."

Lucas smiled, remembering Sara again. He was distracted, though, when someone else approached; a brunette about his and Peyton's age. She caught his attention immediately when she approached, and Lucas noticed both her beauty and her familiarity.

"Hey buddy," the brunette said to Peyton when she reached them. "I've been looking for you. You went and disappeared on me."

"Sorry," Peyton said, chuckling, while Lucas continued to stare at her friend. Her beauty had stolen his gaze. He had never met a woman this beautiful, not since Sara.

"I was just saying hello to an old friend," Peyton continued. She and the brunette both turned toward Lucas.

Lucas thought he noticed the brunette look him up and down once before she smiled and said, "Hmm…he doesn't look old to me."

Chuckling a little, Lucas held out his hand and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Lucas Sc—"

"—Scott," the brunette interjected. She nodded, smiling as she accepted his handshake. "You're Lucas Scott. I knew I recognized you."

Lucas squinted, confused. He'd thought she looked familiar when she had come up to them, but he could not recall meeting her. And he was certain he would have remembered such a beautiful woman.

"I'm sorry," he responded slowly. "Have we met?"

Peyton smiled while she watched Lucas and her friend interact.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" her best friend replied, shaking her head quickly when she realized she hadn't introduced herself.

"My name is Brooke, Brooke Davis. I'm pretty sure we went to school together once upon a time. Junior High in Tree Hill?"

_Aha!_ Lucas thought. He knew she'd looked familiar.

"Right!" he responded immediately. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. It's been a long time, and my memory has never been that great."

"It's okay," Brooke said with a chuckle. "I thought you looked familiar when I saw you, but I couldn't figure out from where until I heard your name."

Lucas smiled again. Peyton decided it was okay to interject then.

"And…I didn't realize that you two have met before," she said.

"Somehow I doubt that," Brooke said, smiling at her friend.

Even when she was speaking with Peyton and turned away from him, Lucas continued to watch Brooke. He still could not take his eyes off of her. More than that, he didn't want to take his eyes off her. Her beauty was incredible. She had the shiniest, softest-looking dark brown hair, styled in wavy curls. And she had the most amazing big brown eyes he had ever seen and a smile like no other.

"Okay, well, I'm going to get a drink," Peyton said. "I'll catch up with you both in a while."

Lucas and Brooke both watched Peyton walk toward the bar. Then, Lucas turned to Brooke and asked, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, thanks, but I can't drink," Brooke replied. "I'm driving home tonight."

Lucas nodded his understanding. "Responsible driver," he said. "I like that. I'm not drinking either. But I'd still like to talk some more if you want to?"

Brooke shrugged. "Sure," she agreed. "It's a party, right?"

Lucas grinned. "Right," he said. "Would you maybe want to take a walk with me?"

"A walk?"

"Yeah, just down to the river. It is really beautiful down there, I remember, but I haven't had a chance to visit since I was a kid. I'd love the company if you're up for it."

Brooke smiled. "Okay," she said. "Let's walk then."

Lucas returned her smiled, and the two of them walked side to side together out of the tent. Meanwhile, over near the bar, Peyton was smiling at them, a glass of champagne in her hand while she leaned back against the bar. Just then, Nathan and Haley approached and Nathan reached around Peyton for two flutes of champagne.

"Hey, Peyton," Haley greeted, accepting the glass Nathan offered her. "Where's Brooke?"

Smiling, Peyton nodded toward the opening in the tent, and she answered. "She went for a walk…with Lucas."

Glancing at one another first, Nathan and Haley joined Peyton in smiles.

"It worked," Nathan said.

The three friends looked at each other, and they held up their glasses. They clinked them together gently before taking a sip.

Outside, Lucas walked slowly with Brooke away from the tent.

"So do you live in Charleston now?" Lucas asked, hands in his pockets.

"Yeah," Brooke answered with a nod. "My father moved us out here when I was thirteen. Now, though, I am actually in the process of moving back to Tree Hill."

That news surprised Lucas. It excited him.

"Really?" he responded with enthusiasm, a little more than he intended to let on. "You're moving back?"

Brooke nodded and explained. "Yeah. I had a falling out with my parents some time ago, and I've wanted to move back since, but I decided to finish college here first. Now that I have, I'd really like to start my career out back home. Tree Hill has always been home to me. I grew up there. It is one of the loveliest places I've ever been and the people are so much friendlier."

"It is a great place to live," Lucas agreed. "I'm happy there. It will be nice to have another friendly face in town. Maybe when you are all settled, we can do some more talking."

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "Maybe we can."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, heading towards the sunset and nearer to the river. Occasionally, Lucas would glance at Brooke and admire her lovely face and genuine personality. The more he walked with her, talked with her, the more difficult he found it to think of what he should say next that wouldn't be too embarrassing or too revealing to scare her away.

He liked her, Lucas realized. He truly did. He was not only attracted to her—how could anyone not be—but he was also enjoying her company, talking with her. Lucas hadn't met anyone who made him feel so nervous and excited all at the same time…not since Sara.

_Wait a minute_, he thought. Was this okay? Was it okay for him to have these sort of thoughts and feelings for another woman when he still loved Sara?

"So you and Nathan…are cousins right?" Brooke asked, breaking the silence and interrupting Lucas's conflicted thoughts.

"Yep, all our lives," Lucas replied with a smile. "But he and Haley are my best friends too. Greatest friends a person could hope for. I don't know what I'd do without them."

"They are really nice," Brooke agreed. "I mean they hadn't seen me since Junior High either until I visited with Peyton when they moved out here. Still, they invited me to come to the wedding, even though I've only hung out with them a few times since they moved here."

"Really?" Lucas said, sounding surprised. He smiled then, and he recalled the conversation he'd had with Nathan the previous morning.

_We sort of have this friend we want you to meet_, Nathan had said. Lucas chuckled and Brooke looked over at him and smiled.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something."

"Okay." Brooke chuckled, and she looked forward again.

But Lucas was still smiling at her. If she noticed, she gave no indication. Lucas thought back on the conversation with Nathan again. Maybe Nathan was right about it being time for him to move on. Maybe it is something Sara would want him to do. And just from spending the past half an hour or so with her, Lucas felt that Brooke just might be the best place to start; the best person to start over with.

They finally reached the river, and Brooke's reaction was exactly as Lucas hoped it would be.

"Wow," she said in awe. "This is amazing, Lucas."

"Isn't it?" Lucas remarked, standing next to Brooke.

They both looked out over the water that glistened as the sun set over it.

"And it hasn't changed a bit," he said quietly.

"You used to come down here a lot then, huh?" Brooke asked.

He nodded. "Pretty much every summer when I was a kid. I used to come here with Haley to spend a week or two with her grandparents. We spent most days down here fishing or skipping rocks."

"That's sweet."

They were both quiet again while they admired the scenery.

"Boy, though," Brooke spoke, rubbing her hands over her arms when a gust of wind swept past. "It's kind of windy down here."

"Oh, here…" Lucas slipped off his tux jacket.

"What about you?" Brooke asked when Lucas draped his jacket over her tan, bare shoulders. "Won't you be cold?"

"Nah, I can take it. Besides, I've got long sleeves."

He winked at her.

"Well, thanks," Brooke said, offering him another smile. They exchanged more admiring stares again.

"Anytime," Lucas said. After looking out at the river once more, he turned back to Brooke and asked, "Do you want to head back to the tent before the mosquitos start attacking?"

Brooke nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

Slowly, they turned around and began walking back to the park. They walked in silence a few minutes, during which Lucas continued with his internal struggle about what his next move should be. He realized that eventually he had to try to move on, but was he ready? Maybe. Maybe not. The bigger question now seemed to be, if he didn't ask Brooke now while he was considering it, would he ever? Would he ever have the courage again? This was his chance to move on. It was now or never, he decided.

"Brooke, I like you," he blurted out in his anxiousness.

"Um, I like you to," Brooke responded through a chuckle.

"You do? Well, then, maybe once you are settled back in Tree Hill, you might consider having dinner with me?"

When he saw Brooke's smile disappear, Lucas's smiled faded too. _I blew it_, he thought. Somehow he had blown his chance with her already before it had really even began.

"Lucas," Brooke spoke slowly. "I do like you. Really, I do. But I don't know if I can have dinner with you."

"Oh…okay." Lucas turned away, embarrassed. He hadn't even thought about her rejecting him, he'd been so worried about figuring out whether he was ready to ask her out. He'd completely forgotten to consider how Brooke might feel about him. Although, he'd sensed maybe she liked him too.

"Lucas, wait," Brooke said, touching his arm to stop him from walking away. She waited for him to look at her before she continued. "It's not that I don't want to have dinner with you. I'm just…I'm not so sure I'm ready."

"I understand," Lucas said. "You don't have to explain."

"No, I do." Brooke shook her head as she went on. "I don't want you to think I'm just brushing you off. I would like to have dinner with you, but my life…it's just so complicated. I have so many responsibilities, and I don't want to mess anything up anymore or have you caught in the middle."

Lucas looked down.

"Complicated, huh?" He asked when he looked up again. "Isn't everyone's life complicated?"

He offered a smile, and Brooke giggled. Lucas looked down at his feet again before he continued.

"It really doesn't matter to me, Brooke, that your life is complicated. I'm not exactly a stranger to responsibility or complicated, trust me. To be honest, I was really scared to even ask you to go out with me because I'm afraid of messing up my life too. I mean it took me a long time to get where I am today, and there is still so much more I've got to figure out.

"So…I guess what I'm trying to say is, maybe you can take a chance on me, I'll take a chance on you, and the two of us could try and get to know each other better. I don't know…maybe we could become really good friends. Even if that's all you felt you could handle, I would be okay with that. What do you say?"

Slowly, Brooke nodded. She smiled and said, "I say…okay. I think I can take a chance on you."

Lucas sighed, relief overwhelming him. He returned her smile, and he said, "You won't be disappointed. I promise."

"I'm sure I won't be."

_Happily Ever After_


	9. Post Wedding Conversations

As she drove home later that night, Brooke tried to keep focus on the road ahead. But her thoughts kept flickering back to the events from earlier in the evening. Meeting Lucas, realizing for herself that he was as charming and brooding as Peyton had told her he was. Then walking with him, talking…feeling herself start to crush on him, especially when he'd offered her his jacket. He was such a gentleman. And despite her reservations, Brooke found herself wanting to know more about Lucas than the little she had learned about him tonight.

"So what can you tell me about Lucas?" she finally asked.

From the passenger seat, Peyton looked over at her friend and smiled. The car ride ahd been silent until that point. Peyton looked ahead again, still smiling, though she tried to hide it from Brooke. She'd spent the silent ride wondering when they were going to get around to talking about Lucas.

Chuckling a little, Peyton answered finally. "Well, what do you want to know?"

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "I'm just curious."

"Uh, huh. I, um…I noticed you two disappeared for a little while tonight."

"Yeah," Brooke said. "We went for a walk down to the river."

"Oh…how romantic."

Brooke grinned. "Easy matchmaker," she said. "All we did was talk."

"And…you didn't learn anything new about him that I hadn't already told you?"

"Well, we really didn't talk about anything specific. But…we did have a nice conversation. Nicer than any conversation I ever had with Mike."

"Oh yeah?"

Brooke nodded and continued. "And when it got windy out down by the river, he gave me his jacket."

"Wow…a gentleman. What else happened?"

"Nothing happened." She paused and her smile faded a little. "But he did ask me to have dinner with him once I get settled in Tree Hill."

Peyton smiled at her friend again. "That's great, Brooke. Did you say yes?"

Brooke hesitated. "I did, but…"

Peyton studied her friend's expression and attempted to interpret how she was feeling.

"But you're nervous?" she asked.

Again, Brooke nodded. "I liked talking with him tonight, and I think I'd like to get to know him better, but I'm afraid that I'm moving on too quickly, that I might be rushing things. Plus, I barely know him, other than he's an old classmate of yours—and mine once upon a time—and that he has a kid—which I might add, he didn't even mention tonight."

"Well, maybe he thought you already knew. Or, maybe he was nervous too. According to Nathan and Haley, Lucas hasn't dated anyone else since my cousin."

"Yeah, which is another reason I'm so cautious."

"Which is fine," Peyton interjected. "It's okay to be cautious, Brooke. But Luke…he has had it rough too."

Slowly, Brooke nodded, silent as she considered what her friend told her.

"And," Peyton continued, "I'm guessing that you didn't really share much about yourself either?"

Brooke glanced quickly at her friend without responding. It was true. She hadn't been completely honest with Lucas about herself. But then again, there hadn't really been a good opportunity.

"Well," Peyton spoke again. "There's not much more I myself can tell you about Lucas. You're only going to get to know him by talking to him, hanging out with him. And I think you should. I think you two really hit it off tonight, and you could be really great friends. You need that. You _deserve_ that. And Lucas does too."

* * *

"Man, she is zonked out," Lucas noted when he peaked behind his passenger seat and observed Cady fast asleep in the backseat.

He sat forward again and glanced at his mother as she drove them back home to Tree Hill.

His mother chuckled. "I think she danced herself to exhaustion."

"Apparently."

"What about you? Did you have a nice time?"

Lucas nodded. "I had a great time. It was really nice to get away for the weekend, and spend some time with Nathan and Haley. The wedding was incredible, wasn't it?"

"Oh yes, beautiful," Karen agreed. "But are you going to tell me about the woman I saw you talking with earlier?"

Lucas looked at his mother. She glanced at him briefly and grinned.

"She was very pretty," Karen continued. "And she must be funny, because I could have sworn I noticed you laughing quite a few times while you two were talking."

Lucas looked down at his lap briefly. For some reason he really couldn't identify at the moment, it felt awkward having this conversation with her.

"What's her name?" His mother asked and Lucas looked up.

"Brooke," he answered. "Her name is Brooke. She's a friend of Peyton's, and of Nathan and Haley apparently."

"Yeah? Tell me about her."

Lucas shrugged. "Well, I really don't know much about her, Mom."

"Well, you must know something. You two disappeared for a while."

"Mom, stop it…"

Karen reached one hand over and touched her son's arm gently, keeping her other hand on the steering wheel.

"Oh, Lucas, just humor me," she said. "This is just chit chat. It's a long drive home, remember? I need you to keep me awake."

Lucas sighed. He supposed he was going to end up telling her about Brooke anyway, especially if he was going to take her out at some point.

"She's from Tree Hill," he said finally.

"Really?" Karen responded, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. Apparently, we were in junior high together once upon a time."

"Wow…small world."

"I know. Her family moved to Charleston around then though. But she said that she has always considered Tree Hill home, and she's missed it. She's moving back."

"Oh, well good for her. I suppose the two of you talking about getting together when she is back in Tree Hill?"

Lucas grinned. "Maybe."

Karen smiled. "Well, I think that's great, Lucas. It will be nice for you to have a friend who lives in town."

It was quiet then for a minute while Karen maintained her focus on the road.

"Did you tell her about Cady?" Karen asked after a few minutes.

Lucas looked back at his mother when she asked the question. Then he glanced at his sleeping daughter in the backseat before he responded.

"No, I didn't. But not because I was afraid or ashamed. The opportunity really just didn't present itself."

"Oh, I'm not judging, honey. I'm just curious."

"I am going to tell her though," Lucas said. "If she does call me, I'm going to tell her about Cady before she and I plan anything."

* * *

Though he had planned to sleep in on his last day of vacation, the following morning Lucas woke early to his phone ringing. He answered the call groggily.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Luke, it's Nate."_

Lucas looked up at his clock on the bedside table. It was nearly ten—a decent time, but he hadn't been expecting a call from Nathan the day after the guy got married.

"Nate," he said. He paused while he sat up on the edge of the bed. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?"

"_We're leaving for Hawaii tonight," Nathan replied. "Haley wanted me to call and make sure you guys got home alright. And…maybe I care too."_

Lucas chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "We got home fine. Late, but we're home."

"_Good, good. Well, Haley and I are really glad you guys were able to make it."_

"Me too. The wedding was fantastic Nathan. Really beautiful. Mom, Cady, and I really enjoyed being there."

"_I'm glad. I, um…I noticed you met Brooke last night."_

Lucas smiled. He was wondering how long it would take for Nathan to ask about Brooke.

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "Peyton introduced us. But why do I get the feeling you had something to do with that?"

"_I had _nothing_ to do with it."_

"Yeah, sure. I mean, I never did meet that friend of yours you were telling me you wanted me to meet before I got to Charleston."

"_Oh yeah, well I guess she couldn't make it to the reception."_

"Uh, huh." Lucas smiled and shook his head.

"_Anyway, are you going to tell me how it went?_"

"How what went?"

"_You and Brooke."_

"All we did was talk."

"_I'm pretty sure the two of you walked off together for a while."_

"Yes, and we _talked_."

"_So you're saying that you don't like her?"_

"Nate," Lucas said, irritated. "Stop."

"_I'm sorry, man. I don't mean to push or to pry. I'm just curious. You two seemed to hit it off."_

"Well, maybe we did."

"_Good. I'm glad to hear that. So what's the plan? Are you going to ask her out or what?"_

Lucas exhaled sharply. "You are really going to push this aren't you?"

"_Until I'm satisfied you've told me everything, yeah."_

Lucas smiled. "Alright," he conceded. "Just so you will shut up and leave me alone, I will tell that I did ask her to call me when she gets settled in Tree Hill."

"_And?"_

"And that is all I'm going to tell you

Now he heard Nathan sigh.

"_Fair enough," Nathan said. "But you know I'll be expecting more details in a few weeks when Haley and I get back."_

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see. Why don't you just go and enjoy your honeymoon. Stop worrying about me for once, okay?"

"_I'll call you and let you know when we are back. Give Cady a hug for me."_

"Alright, man. Have fun."

Lucas set his cell phone back on the end table and he laid back in his bed. He considered closing his eyes and attempting to sleep for another twenty minutes or so. But then he realized he probably wouldn't, as his mind was much too occupied now with thoughts of Brooke.

He was surprised by how much he liked her, and thus how he could not stop thinking about her since he'd left the wedding. It made him nervous, as he still felt so in love with Sara  
Beth. And also, he felt anxious, wondering if Brooke would call him. And how long should he wait before calling her? Should he call her?

Lucas wasn't' sure about any of it. Instead, he only hoped that he would get the chance to see her again. He couldn't explain it, but there had just been something about Brooke that peaked his interest, and he couldn't wait to know more about her.

_Happily Ever After_


	10. Coffee

_**ONE WEEK LATER…**_

Brooke followed the movers to the front door, walking them out.

"Thanks for all of your help, guys, "she said to the four men, waving as they walked down the long sidewalk back to their truck.

"Sure, no problem, miss," one of them said—the man in charge of the small moving company. "Take care now."

Brooke watched them go before she closed the red door. She turned around in the foyer and paused, hands in her pockets as she looked around at her surroundings. All of her furniture from her apartment was finally here with her in her new home, in Tree Hill.

Actually, this home wasn't exactly new to her. It had been her home as a child. She'd loved this house then, and she had missed it—like her hometown—for all the years she'd been away. And when she'd started looking for houses for sale when she'd decided to return to Tree Hill, she'd been ecstatic—and also a little disbelief—to find this house was actually back on the market.

So now she was here, back in this house. Only now the house belonged to her. And she planned to make many happy memories here. At least she hoped to have happy memories in this new chapter of her life.

The sound of her cell phone broke Brooke away from her thoughts. She hurried into the kitchen where she remembered last having her phone. She answered quickly when she found it.

"Hello?"

"_Hey B!"_

Brooke recognized the voice of her best friend.

"Hi, P. Sawyer," she greeted as she leaned against the counter.

"_How's the moving going?"_

"Well, it's done for the most part. The furniture is here and in place, and the movers just left. I just have to unpack now."

"_Oh good! How's Kenzie like the house?"_

"She hasn't seen it yet, actually. I mean, aside from pictures. Mike said he'd keep her until the end of the week. I thought it would make moving a lot easier, which it did, but…"

"_But you miss her like crazy?"_

Brooke sighed. "Oh my god, so much!" she said.

She heard Peyton laugh a little.

"_Is this the longest she's been away from you?"_

"Yeah," Brooke responded sadly, thinking of her daughter. "But I've talked to her every night, and I will tonight, and then I will have her wither me in a few days."

"_What are you going to do in the meantime? Besides unpack?"_

Brooke found herself feeling nervous all of a sudden when she told Peyton what she'd been thinking about doing all day.

"Well, I was actually thinking about calling Lucas."

"_Oh yeah?"_

"I don't know, though…" Brooke trailed off. She closed her eyes briefly as she debated with herself silently again. Then she remembered she was still on the phone.

"I told him I would call him," she continued. "That I would give him a chance. But I still feel so nervous about it. And I feel like I should tell him about Mackenzie before we move forward with anything."

"_Why are you nervous? And do you really think Lucas will care, Brooke? I mean, that it would change anything? In case you forgot, Lucas has a daughter too."_

"I know." Brooke sighed again. "I hope it wouldn't be a problem, but it's not just that. I really don't want to jump into anything too fast."

"_Well, so maybe you two should talk first, about your concerns, before you decide to go out on an actual date."_

Brooke nodded slowly, thinking that might be a solution to ease her nerves.

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed.

"_Either way, I think you should call Lucas. It's about time you got back out there, Brooke. Plus, Lucas is a good guy."_

"I hope so. I need a good guy."

* * *

It was late, after ten, when Lucas pulled into the driveway. When he entered the house, Lucas found his mother was still awake. She was lounging on the couch in the living room, watching the television with the volume down low and only the lamp in the corner turned on its lowest setting.

"Hey," Lucas greeted her as she closed the door behind him.

"Hi, honey," his mother said.

"You're still up?" He asked, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Yeah. There was a movie on tonight that I wanted to see, so I thought I would wait up for you. How was work?"

"Busy. I'm exhausted. How was Cady tonight?"

"Good. She asked me to remind you to go in and kiss her goodnight."

Lucas smiled. "Alright."

He started to get up from the couch, but he sat back down when his mother spoke again.

"Oh, and you also had a phone call this evening."

His brow furrowed as he considered who it may have been.

"Nathan?" He asked.

His mother shook her head. "No. Brooke."

Lucas felt numb suddenly, both nervous and excited.

"She left her number," his mother continued. "It's on the counter in the kitchen."

Lucas nodded slowly. He glanced at the clock on the wall above the television, and he wondered whether he should return Brooke's call tonight or wait until morning.

As if she was reading his mind, his mother said, "It's not too late. You should call her back."

Lucas looked back at his mother. She smiled and said, "You should call her. It is obvious you want to."

Now Lucas smiled. His mother reached her hand over and placed it on his right knee.

"Call her," she said encouragingly. "Settle your nerves tonight."

Lucas nodded. "Okay. I think I will."

"Good." She patted his knee and moved her feet to the floor. "I, on the other hand, am going to bed."

He watched his mother as she stood up.

"Goodnight, Mom," he said.

"Goodnight, honey."

After his mother had disappeared down the hall and into her bedroom, Lucas got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. He found the notepad on the counter next to the phone, Brooke's number written on it in his mother's neat handwriting. He stared at the number for a minute, summoning up his courage. Finally, he lifted the phone from its cradle and dialed.

After three rings, he heard her pick up.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi…Brooke?"

"_Yes."_

Lucas swallowed. "It's Lucas, Lucas Scott."

"_Oh, hi!"_

It helped to settle some of his anxiety that she sounded excited to hear from him.

"I'm sorry it's a little late," Lucas spoke with a little more confidence. "I just got home from work."

"_Oh, it's fine, really," _Brooke said. _"Your mom told me you were working. And I've been up for hours unpacking anyway. I'm glad you called back."_

Lucas smiled. "Well, I am glad you called. I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind about me."

He heard Brooke chuckled.

"_No, I haven't. But I was thinking that before we make any plans to go out, maybe we could just get together for coffee or something and talk?"  
_ "Okay, sure. That sounds great. Are you free tomorrow morning?"

"_Yeah! That sounds perfect."_

"Great. How about we meet at _Coffee Pagoda_ on the promenade at ten?"

"_Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow, Lucas."_

"See you tomorrow, Brooke. Goodnight."

"_Goodnight."_

* * *

The following morning, Lucas dressed for work and dropped Cady off at school as usual. Since he had a few hours before he had to be at work, Lucas met Brooke for coffee on the promenade. When he saw her waiting for him, standing near a table with an umbrella, he was once again struck by her beauty. The amazement was even greater when she spotted him and smiled. There was something about her smile…

Brooke waved to him as he approached, and then together they entered the coffee shop. A few minutes later, when they stepped outside again with coffee in tow, Lucas spoke.

"Did you get all moved in?"

Brooke nodded before she responded. "Yep, for the most part. All the big stuff is done, and I just have one more room of boxes to unpack."

"That's good." Lucas paused and he and Brooke began to walk along the promenade. "I'm glad your move went smoothly. And…I'm really glad that you decided to call."

Brooke glanced at Lucas and smiled.

"What, did you think I wouldn't call?"

Lucas chuckled nervously. "I don't know," he answered, shrugging. "Maybe."

They walked quietly for a minute, both of them pondering what to say next.

"So look," Brooke spoke first, deciding to get straight to the point. "I realized that we really didn't get a chance to talk about a whole lot at the wedding. And…there's really something you need to know about me before you and I decide to do anything."

Lucas nodded. "Okay," he agreed. He looked away briefly. "I actually have something I need to tell you too."

"Okay," Brooke said. "You first."

"Alright. Well, um…" Lucas spoke slowly. "I just want you to know that I have an eight year old daughter."

"Oh, Cady, right?" Brooke responded. Lucas looked quickly at her, surprised.

"Yeah," Lucas said. "You knew already?"

Brooke nodded. "Peyton actually introduced me to her at the wedding when we were dancing. I actually met Cady before I met you. After you and I came back from our walk, Peyton mentioned that Cady was your daughter. I'm sorry I didn't mention that I knew before, but—"

"—No, it's okay. I'm glad you know. I just wanted to make sure I was completely honest from the start."

"Of course. I appreciate that, Lucas. And I want the same. That's mostly why I wanted to meet. I wanted you to know that I also have a daughter."

"You do?"

Brooke nodded. She looked away. "Yeah," she said. "Her name is Mackenzie. She just turned seven, and she is my whole world."

Lucas nodded with a tiny smile. After a brief moment of silence, Brooke added, "I hope that doesn't change things for us?"

"No, of course it doesn't," Lucas answered quickly. "I still plan on taking you out if you'll let me."

Brooke smiled. "Well, I did promise to take a chance on you, didn't I?"

"You did."

"So…let's make a date then."

She smiled at him once more—again, completely mesmerizing Lucas.

_Happily Ever After_


	11. Date Plans

It was late afternoon when Lucas arrived home from work. His mother was sitting on the swing on the front porch. He stepped out of his truck and waved to her.

"Hey, Ma," he said.

"Hi, honey," his mother said, waving back just as he approached the house.

Lucas smiled when he saw his daughter run out onto the porch.

"Hi, Daddy," she greeted, grinning.

Lucas opened his arms to embrace Cady when she ran down the front steps. He kissed her head.

"Hey, Squirt," he said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Daddy." Cady looked up at him. "Are you done working today?"

Lucas frowned. "I wish I was, honey. But I have to work at the cinema tonight. I just came home to eat dinner and change my clothes."

"Aww, man!"

Lucas touched her cheek. "I'm sorry, Princess. But I promise we will have a daddy-daughter-date night soon, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Cady hugged him once more, and then she brushed past him.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked her.

"Over to Lily's to play." Cady hollered back. "Nana said I could. Have a good night at work, Dad! Love you!"

"I love you too!" Lucas watched Cady as she reached her friend's home three houses down.

Lucas continued up the porch steps then, and he sat down next to his mother.

"She seems so busy these days," he noted.

Karen chuckled. "She's eight. Playing with her friends is her work. She's happy. Besides, you are quite busy yourself."

Lucas nodded. Then, he looked at his mother and said, "Thanks for picking her up from school for me today."

"Of course. How was your day?"

Brooke entered his mind again—he'd been thinking about her all day.

"It was good," he answered, while trying to hide his smile.

After a minute of silence, he asked, "Hey, do you, um, do you have any plans on Friday night?"

"I don't believe so." Karen looked at her son. "You need me to watch Cady?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all. Are you working a double again?"

"No. I actually got someone to work for me. I, um…I'm having dinner with Brooke."

He watched as his mother grinned.

"Ah, I see," she said. "Well, then, I think it will be the perfect night for my granddaughter and me to have one of our famous movie nights."

"You don't mind watching her?"

"No, of course not. You know I don't mind. We will have fun. Besides, you deserve a night to go out and have some fun."

Lucas smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

* * *

"_So how did it go with Lucas?"_

Brooke held her cell phone to her right ear as she responded. "It went well."

She paused a moment when she reached her vehicle, and she climbed inside. When she closed the door and buckled her seat belt, she continued her conversation with Peyton.

"We, um…we met up for coffee, and we talked for about an hour or so."

"_That's great, Brooke."_

"Yeah, it was nice. I told him about Kenzie."

"_Oh yeah? And?"_

"And you were right," Brooke admitted. "He was fine with it. It didn't change anything. I could tell he was surprised, but I think he was actually…I don't know. Excited? Maybe he was excited to learn I'm a single parent too."

"_Well, he probably is excited. I don't think he has socialized too much over the past eight years. Plus, he's probably glad that you both have something else in common."_

"Yeah. I'm just glad he knows. I didn't want to hide anything and Lucas didn't either. He told me about Cady, too."

"_Well, I'm glad you two got everything out in the open. So tell me though…amidst all this talking you and Lucas did, did you happen to decide when you're going out?"_

Brooke smiled before she answered.

"Lucas asked me to have dinner on Friday. And I promise, I will share all the details, but I have to go. I'm about to head out to pick Kenzie up from Mike's."

"_Okay, hon. Drive safe, and call me when you get back."_

"I will."

* * *

On Friday, Lucas picked Cady up from school as usual. Before heading home, however, he stopped at the video store to let Cady pick out a few videos to watch while he would be out with Brooke.

"How come I can't go with you tonight, Daddy?" Cady asked as they stepped inside the store.

"Because, honey," he replied, holding her hand while they walked through the aisles of videos searching for children's movies. "Daddy needs a night to himself."

"Where are you gonna go?"

"I told you. I'm going to have dinner with the nice woman I met at the wedding."

Cady let go of his hand to look closer at the videos.

"How come I didn't meet her?" Cady asked.

Lucas watched as she brought back one of her favorite DVDs, _Frozen_.

"This one again?" He asked, looking back at his daughter.

Cady shrugged in response. "It's my favorite."

She turned back around to browse the movies again.

"How come I didn't meet this lady?" Cady asked.

"Well, I think you did," Lucas answered. "When you were dancing at the wedding."

"Oh."

Cady picked out another DVD, _Despicable Me_, and then they proceeded to the checkout counter. She didn't ask anymore questions until they were back in the truck and on the way home. And her next question, although probably natural for an eight year old to wonder, took Lucas by complete surprise.

"Are you going to marry her, Daddy?"

"What? No!" He answered at once. "I mean, I don't know. I just met her."

Cady sighed heavily, and she said, "I still don't understand why I can't go with you."

Lucas glanced at Cady a moment and returned his focus to the road.

"Sweetheart," he spoke gently. "You wouldn't have any fun. It would be better if I go alone. You'll have more fun at home with grandma, but the whole weekend is yours, okay?"

"Whatever," Cady muttered, folding her arms.

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle. That tiny bit of sass and the way she folded her arms so stubbornly, reminded Lucas so much of her mother. A few minutes later, they were home. Lucas turned off the ignition, but Cady did not attempt to even unfasten her seatbelt.

"What's the matter, honey?" Lucas asked.

Cady looked at him and asked," Do you like Brooke like you liked my mommy?"

_Whoa_, he thought. He hadn't expected that question either. And he wasn't sure how to respond. He liked Brooke a lot, he knew that much. But Cady's mother was still the love of his life.

"No, honey," he answered. "I'm just having dinner with her, to get to know her. I will always love your mom, Cady. I've been in love with her since the day I met her, and I will always love her."

"Then, how come you are going out with someone else?"

Lucas sighed. In all honesty, he'd been asking himself the same question. He still wasn't certain that he was ready to date again, but there was something about Brooke that made him want to try.

"Because it's time, sweetie," he answered. "Mommy would want me to get to know someone else, to make new friends. And as hard as it is for me to do, I have to try. I know this is really hard for you to understand. It's okay if you don't. I'll always be around if you want to talk, or if you have more questions. Okay?"

"Okay," Cady responded. Though, she still sounded unsure.

Lucas stroked his daughter's cheek, and he said, "Cady, if you're thinking that I'll forget your mom, you don't have to worry. I could never forget your mother because I have the one thing that reminds me of her everyday."

"What?"

"You," Lucas said, smiling. "Every time I look at you, or hear you laugh, or watch you give me attitude like you did a few minutes ago, I remember your mom. You are the spitting image of her. As long as I have you, I will always have her."

Cady smiled, and she leaned over to hug him.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Cady."

_Happily Ever After_


	12. First Date

At seven o'clock, Lucas was on the front porch knocking on the red door of Brooke's home. Just before they'd finished their coffee a few days earlier, Brooke had written her address on Lucas's hand, and she had suggested he pick her up around seven.

He waited patiently—and a little anxiously—for Brooke to come to the door. He smiled when the door opened, and Brooke smiled back at him.

"Hey," she greeted, smiling back.

"Hi," Lucas said. He looked her up and down once, struck by her beauty again as he had been when he'd met her at the wedding. Only today Brooke was not in a dress. Tonight she was dressed in dark denim jeans, a red blouse, and a black leather jacket. Her long, dark brown hair was styled in curls and sweeping her shoulders.

"You look amazing," Lucas noted aloud.

Brooke blushed and she said, "Well, thank you. You look quite handsome yourself."

Lucas stepped back as Brooke stepped out onto the porch.

"Did you find the place okay?" she asked, locking the door.

"Oh yeah," Lucas answered. They started walking down the front sidewalk, headed toward his truck. "It was simple."

"Good."

"So did you have any trouble finding a sitter for tonight?" Lucas asked.

"No, actually," Brooke replied. They neared the end of her walkway. "I have a cousin in town here also. She has a little boy close to Kenzie's age, and she offered to watch her for me tonight."

"Oh good. That was nice."

They stopped walking when they reached the truck, and Lucas opened the door for her.

Brooke smiled. "Again, you are quite the gentleman. Thank you."

Lucas had planned to take his date to his favorite restaurant in town, hoping she would love it.

"It's the best," he'd said to Brooke when she'd inquired about the restaurant in the car.

It didn't take long to get there, and Lucas had made reservations so they were seated immediately. After they'd ordered, Lucas smiled nervously at Brooke, feeling unsure of what to say.

"So I guess now is the part when we talk and try to get to know one another," Brooke spoke jokingly.

He wasn't positive, but Lucas sensed that Brooke might be a little nervous too. That settled his anxiety a little. At least they were on the same page. So far so good, he supposed.

"I guess it is," he agreed.

Brooke chuckled. "Alright," she said. "You start. What do you want to know about me?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Lucas paused. He shrugged as he thought about his answer.

_Everything_, he thought.

"Whatever you want to tell me I guess," he said.

"Hmm…" Brooke looked away for a moment, and she considered what she hadn't told him the first two times they'd met.

"Let's see," she continued. "I am 25 years old, I'm recently divorced. I am working on starting a fashion line. You already know that I have a daughter, and… I am really, _really_ nervous right now."

Lucas laughed. "That's okay," he said. "I'm nervous too. I'll be honest and tell you that I haven't been out like this in a long time. I've never been out with anyone other than…"

He trailed off, remembering Sarah. He was on a date with another woman and thinking about Sarah. That didn't seem okay to him. But he didn't want to stop talking to Brooke either. He found he wanted to know more about her.

"What?" Brooke asked him, concerned with his sudden silence. "What is it?"

"Oh," Lucas responded, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I was thinking about the last time I've been out like this. It's been so long."

Brooke nodded without response. She understood, from Peyton, that the last woman Lucas had been out with was his daughter's mother—Peyton's cousin.

"How long has it been?" Brooke asked.

"Eight years," Lucas replied. "She passed away just after Cady was born."

Brooke hesitated before her next question.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

No one had ever asked him that question before. Then again, there really hadn't been anyone around to ask that question. His friends had all been friends with Sara Beth too and had been present at the hospital when she'd died. His coworkers were aware that Lucas was a single father, but he really didn't discuss his personal life at work. And before now, he had never had a conversation like this, one that might lead to talking about his painful past. But he had to talk about it, Lucas decided. If he was truly going to make an effort to move on, then he had to talk about Sarah Beth, and what it had been like for him to lose her.

So, finally, Lucas answered Brooke's question. He told her how Sara Beth had gone through a difficult pregnancy, how things had improved later, only for him to lose Sara the same day she'd given birth to their daughter. He admitted that at one time he'd thought that having a baby as a teenager would be the hardest thing he'd ever go through. But he had learned that he was wrong.

Lucas shared with Brooke that while raising his daughter had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done, nothing has been harder than losing Sara. Of course, losing his father as a child had been difficult too, but that had been a different kind of pain, a different kind of loss. Sara Beth…she had been the love of his life, and her death…well, it had felt as though a part of himself died too.

"I'm so sorry," Brooke said when Lucas had finished talking. She shook her head as she spoke. "I can't even imagine how hard that must've been to go through."

Lucas nodded. "Worst experience of my life," he admitted.

"Does it bother you to talk about it?"

Lucas was quiet for a moment while he considered Brooke's question.

"Not like it used to be," he answered honestly. "I still get sad sometimes, like anyone would I guess. But I still have my mom and my friends. They have really helped me through it, especially Cady. She is my little angel, and she is so much like her mother. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Brooke smiled. "She sounds like your best friend."

"That she is." Lucas looked up at Brooke. "Are you and your daughter close?"

Brooke nodded in response. "Very close. Thankfully she takes after me more than she does her father."

"Not a great guy, huh?" Lucas asked.

Brooke shook her head and set down her water glass.

"No," she answered. "Once upon a time, I thought he was. Mike is…difficult. I wasn't as in love with him as you were with Sara Beth. Although, when I met him I swore to my parents, my friends, and anyone else who had an opinion that I was head over heels in love with him. Looking back now, I realize I was just young and stupid, and I think I was in love with the attention I got from him."

Brooke paused while she adjusted her sitting position.

"I got pregnant my senior year of high school," she continued. "Mike and I both came from wealthy parents, and they wanted us to get married. Even though my parents never liked Mike, they were more concerned about the image they would have if I was a single mother. And both Mike and I thought we were in love, so at that time we thought it was the best idea."

Brooke paused again, remembering her past. Lucas watched her, waiting patiently as he could tell there was more to her story. Some might have found it odd, rushed even, Brooke sharing so much with him—and his sharing so much with her—about the past on their first date. But they had already done so much talking during their previous two encounters. And this, talking, sharing, getting to know one another…it felt so natural to him. It was comfortable, Brooke's company. And it seemed to Lucas that Brooke felt the same as she continued and shared even more.

"We were okay for a while. We were married five years, though the last year of our marriage we spent separated. Before that, we spent three years arguing more often than we got along. And then I caught him cheating."

"Well, that doesn't sound like a happily ever after either," Lucas said when Brooke stopped to take another drink.

"No, not at all," Brooke agreed. "I finally decided to file for divorce after a year of separation, and Mike didn't object. But when my parents found out we were getting divorced, my father threatened to cut me off if I didn't stay and make it work with Mike."

"He didn't really cut you off?"

Brooke nodded. "Yep. But I told them I was tired of them controlling my life, that I needed a life of my own, and that I deserved to be happy. They didn't agree."

"Even though it's what Mike wanted too?"

"My parents didn't believe me. My mother insisted I must have done something to push Mike away."

Lucas shook his head. He thought back on when Sarah had come to stay with him and his mother, after her father, Frank Morgan, had kicked her home after she'd told him she was pregnant. Mr. Morgan had never spoken to Sarah Beth after that, not once, and Lucas hadn't seen or heard from him at all since Sara's funeral. That frustrated Lucas to no end, parents who treated their children that way.

A parent's love is supposed to be unconditional. With as much love as he had for his own daughter, Lucas didn't understand how any parent could disown their child, how they couldn't—or wouldn't find it in themselves to put aside their own pride for the sake of their children, to love and support them. Thinking about it made Lucas appreciate his mother more than he could ever tell her. He felt sorry for Brooke now, after hearing her story, sorry that she didn't have a mother as loving and supporting as his.

"That's horrible," Lucas said when he looked back at Brooke.

Brooke shrugged and said, "Yeah, but those are my parents. We haven't spoken in six months."

Lucas shook his head again. "Wow," he said. "That's really a shame. It really makes me a million times more grateful for my mom sticking by me and Sarah when her dad gave up on her. And she's been my rock, supporting me all these years."

Brooke smiled. "She sounds like a wonderful mother. Caring…"

Lucas nodded. "She really is," he agreed.

Brooke exhaled sharply, thinking about her own mother.

"Mine was barely a parent," she admitted. She looked back up at Lucas as she explained more. "I had nannies growing up, and they felt more like my family than either of my parents. My nannies were the ones who parented me. That's why I refused my parents' offer to hire a nanny after Kenzie was born. I loved my nanny of course, but I didn't want that life for my child. Mike and my parents, Mike's parents even, all thought that a nanny would be best since we were going to be going to college, but I did not want a stranger raising my daughter."

"Understandable," Lucas said, nodding his head slowly.

"Yeah…" Brooke stopped for a moment, thinking. She looked back at Lucas when she continued. "So life as a single mom is tough, as I'm sure you understand, being a single father."

Lucas nodded in agreement and Brooke continued.

"It's definitely not what I planned for my life, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Well, except maybe for the 'single' part."

Lucas chuckled. "I know what you mean. Having Cady in my life has been my greatest blessing. I can't even imagine not having her in my life, but it certainly has not been easy, being a teen father, being a single father even."

"Exactly," Brooke agreed. "But I know that Kenzie will always know that I love her, and that I'll be around for her…not some stranger nanny."

Lucas smiled again, struck by something else he liked about this woman—aside from her beauty and amazing personality, that is. She shared similar parenting ideals as him, as well as some of the same fears and concerns.

Lucas reached for his water glass and took a drink. When he set the glass back down, he asked, "So does your ex still see your daughter?"

Brooke nodded. "He does. Unfortunately, lately, it's only been whenever it's convenient for him. The custody agreement we have grants him every other weekend and every other holiday, but he has barely seen her at all this month. He kept her for the whole week after his last weekend with her so that I could move us down here. But as I found out later, Kenzie spent most of that time with his parents."

"Too busy to spend time with her?"

Brooke shook her head. "I don't know. Mike is selfish. He's not really good at the whole 'consider how others might feel' or 'think before you act' sort of thing."

"Does it bother Mackenzie? That her dad doesn't spend much time with her?"

Brooke was quiet for a moment while she pondered the question. At the same time, Lucas quietly wondered whether he spent enough time with Cady between all the working he did. Should he have stayed home with her tonight? He hoped that his efforts to spend his days off with Cady were enough, and also that Sarah's absence from their daughter's life would not be damaging to her. Lucas would give anything for Cady to have and to know her mother.

"I don't think it does," Brooke answered, looking back at Lucas. "At least, it hasn't really bothered her yet, not that I've seen. Kenzie is a very happy, energetic, carefree little girl most of the time. But I am afraid that someday it is going to affect her. And I just…I don't want her to be hurt."

"No, of course not." Lucas understood exactly how Brooke felt.

The waiter arrived with their meals then. As they both started in on their plates, the conversation shifted. Brooke asked to know more about his daughter and Lucas told her proudly. He explained about his work when she asked. He explained that currently he was financially stable with his full time management position at the cinema, and his part time, every other weekend job at the grocery store as a stocker.

Briefly, Lucas spoke about his dream job, but only because Brooke asked what it was he would like to be doing if he had the option to change. And he really didn't divulge too many details about it, as it was sensitive subject for him. He knew he would never get the chance to go to college, thus never get to teach. Forget ever getting published as a writer. He tried not to think about it, much less talk about it.

Brooke sensed that Lucas did not like talking about his future plans, or what used to be his plans. She noticed that his shoulders tensed when she'd asked what he'd like to really be doing. And when he spoke about it, there was a sadness in his voice. When he finished telling her about his dreams, Brooke quickly turned the conversation back to her, hoping it would help. Since he had shared about his dreams with her, she talked a little about her own. She told him of her hobby in sketching and about her plans for a clothing line, and to possibly open a clothing store someday.

The conversation seemed to flow with ease, Lucas noted. When he finally asked for the check, neither he nor Brooke could believe that they had been talking for two hours. They walked along the pier for a while after leaving the restaurant, talking even more until they both decided it was time to call it a night.

Lucas drove Brooke home, and then he walked her to the front door. It was the only house on the block with a red door, he noticed. Brooke unlocked the door, but she didn't open it right away. Instead, she turned to Lucas and smiled.

"Thank you for dinner, Lucas," she said. "Thank you for tonight. I had a really nice time."

Lucas nodded slowly. "I had a great time," he said. "I'm really glad we could do this."

"Me too."

They stood in silence for a moment. Suddenly, Lucas felt nervous again.

"I, um, I have to work pretty much this whole week," Lucas said after a minute. "But I would like to take you out again soon."

Brooke smiled and nodded. "I would really like that."

Lucas returned the smile. He sighed, relieved.

"You'll call me when you figure out when?" Brooke asked.

She realized it was a dangerous question to ask. Every woman knows that when a guy says he'll call you, it pretty much means he won't/ But Brooke felt different about Lucas…she really didn't doubt that he would call her soon.

"Absolutely," Lucas confirmed.

"Great. Well, then I look forward to hearing from you."

The awkward silence came again. This time, there wasn't anything either one of them wanted to say, but they both wondered whether something should—and if it would—happen.

Brooke could see that Lucas was nervous. In complete honesty, she was feeling a little nervous herself. There was something about this man that made her stomach do flip flops, and she wanted to know more about him. In time she hoped that she would learn more. But for now, all she wanted was for him to kiss her.

Finally, despite his nerves and conflictions, Lucas leaned in closer to Brooke (and she allowed it, he noticed). Slowly, he placed his lips on hers, and he felt his hands move up and cup her face. After a minute, they both pulled away slowly. They smiled at one another. Brooke leaned in this time and kissed him gently.

"Goodnight, Lucas," she spoke softly.

"Goodnight."

Lucas watched as Brooke turned away and stepped into her home. He smiled and waved as she slowly closed the door.


	13. Post Date

His mother was still awake, sitting on the couch in the living room when Lucas arrived home from his date.

"Hi, honey," she greeted him when he stepped in the front door.

"Hey," he said, closing the door. He walked over and sat down next to her on the couch.

The television was on, but the volume turned down low.

"So how was it?" His mother asked after a quiet minute.

Lucas slowly nodded. "It was really great," he said. "I had a really good time, and so did Brooke."

He watched his mother smile.

"I knew you would," she said. "You were so nervous, but I knew you would have a good time. I can tell you really like her."

"I do," Lucas admitted. It was quiet for a moment, and then Lucas looked at his mother and spoke again.

"Is Cady asleep?"

"Yeah. She crashed halfway through her second movie and I took her to bed."

Lucas nodded. He glanced at the television.

"So tell me more about Brooke. Tell me about your date."

"Well…" Lucas paused, shrugging while he thought about what he wanted to say. "As I said, the date was great. We went to dinner, then we walked around the pier. We talked for so long…it was wonderful."

Karen smiled. She waited patiently, silently waiting for him to continue.

"She's incredible, Mom," he said. "I mean she's been through so much, and I admire her strength and her confidence."

Lucas turned and looked at his mother again.

"I didn't mention this before, but she has a daughter too."

He saw the expression of surprise on his mother's face as she responded.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Lucas continued. "I haven't met her, but Brooke told me a little more about her tonight. Her name is Mackenzie, and she's about a year younger than Cady. Brooke was a senior when she had her daughter. She comes from a wealthy family and her parents wanted her to get married. But she is divorced now and she's trying to make it on her own, starting over here in Tree Hill."

"Wow…well, good for her." Karen smiled and Lucas could tell his mother was sincere in her words. It's one of the reasons he found it so easy to talk with her. She was a great listener, and she often helped him sort out his own thoughts, even if he didn't always like her advice.

"You know, Mom…I have talked with other single moms before at work and at Cady's school. But…I don't know, I've never really felt connected to any of them like I did with Brooke tonight. I feel like we understand each other so well."

His mother folded her arms across her chest as she said, "It sounds like you two really hit it off."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed. He stopped then, thinking again.

His mother noticed his expression. He seemed bothered now when just a moment ago, when he'd been talking about Brooke, he was happy.

"Lucas, what's the matter?" she asked him.

"Nothing," Lucas responded, waving it off.

"Well, something is the matter. I'm your mother, and I can tell when you're worried. You know you can talk to me about anything. Tell mom what's on your mind."

Lucas sighed. He glanced down at his hands while he explained how he was feeling.

"I really like Brooke, I do. I want to keep seeing her, and she wants to see me."

He trailed off again.

"But?" His mother pressed.

Lucas shook his head a little when he responded.

"I don't know. Something still isn't sitting right with me. I'm still confused about some things."

"What? Like doubts?"

"More like questions, I think. Like…is it okay for me to be dating right now when I have an eight year old who needs me? Should I be spending my free time working overtime to support Cady rather than out on dates? Or should I be spending all my free time with Cady?"

He paused again and shook his head.

"And then there's Sara Beth."

"What do you mean?"

"I have no idea how she would feel about Brooke, about me seeing Brooke and feeling this way. Do you think…I don't know, do you think she'd be upset with me? For dating?"

His mother placed an arm across his shoulders.

"Of course not, honey," she answered. "She would want you to be happy. She wouldn't want you to be alone. It is okay for you to date if you feel you're ready. Don't be afraid."

She let that sink in a moment before she went on.

"I know you really like Brooke. You should continue to see her if you want. As for Cady, you know that that girl loves just about every person she meets. I think you should talk to her about Brooke, find out how she feels about you dating."

Lucas nodded his agreement.

"You're right," he agreed.

Lucas looked back at his mother. Briefly, he remembered Brooke's story about her parents, and he felt lucky again, to have such a wise, wonderful, loving mother.

"Thanks, Mom," he said. "For everything."

She smiled and touched his face.

"You're welcome, honey. I'll always be here for you."

* * *

Lucas slept in late on Saturday morning. He didn't wake up until close to eleven. When he woke, Lucas climbed out of bed wearing his black sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He left his bedroom and walked down the hall into the living room where Cady was sitting watching cartoons.

"Hi, Daddy," Cady greeted him when he plopped down next to her on the couch.

"Morning," Lucas mumbled. He yawned and Cady leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Where's grandma?" He asked, running his hand affectionately along the back of Cady's head.

"Workin' in her garden," Cady replied, cuddling up against her father. She looked up at him and asked, "Did you miss me last night?"

"Of course. I always miss you." Lucas squeezed Cady gently. "Did you have a fun movie night with grandma?"

"Eh, it was okay." Cady shrugged. She answered him with her eyes turned back on her cartoon. "It would've been more fun if you were here."

Lucas sighed, frowning. Hearing Cady say that didn't help him any. He was already feeling guilty enough about not spending more time with her.

"Well, I'll tell you what," he said. Cady looked away from the television and back at him. "How about you and I both get dressed, and I will take you to the park for a picnic. We can kick your soccer ball around for a while and talk. How does that sound?"

"Awesome! I'll go get ready!"

Cady jumped off the couch and ran down the hall to her room.

* * *

"Hello?"

Brooke held her cellphone to her ear with her shoulder while she struggled to lock her front door and also trying to keep hold of her purse.

"_Hello yourself,"_ the caller responded. _"You never_ _called me last night."_

Brooke smiled, recognizing her best friend's voice. She hadn't looked at the caller I.D. before she answered the call.

"_Again, hi yourself. You didn't call me back last night. I've been dying to hear about your date."_

Brooke was still smiling as she walked to her Jeep in the driveway and climbed in.

"I'm sorry, Peyton," she said. "I got back late and I was tired. I was going to call you this morning, but clearly you've beaten me to it."

"_Alright, you're forgiven. Now spill…how was the date?"_

Leaning back against the headrest in the driver's seat, Brooke grinned as she recalled the events from the previous evening. Her thoughts lingered particularly on the kiss she'd shared with Lucas at the end of the night. She couldn't recall ever being kissed like that by any boy before.

It had been something incredible for sure, she thought. Lucas was someone incredible, and Brooke honestly could not believe how strong her feelings were for him already. Of course, it would take time to get to know Lucas better and for him to get to know her. But she wanted to take the time. Brooke had no intentions to rush anything, but she just couldn't deny that she was attracted to Lucas; and not just because of his looks (though he was _definitely_ a good looking man).

"The date was amazing." Brooke responded when she remembered Peyton was waiting on the phone. She leaned forward and inserted her key in the ignition. "We had a great time."

Apparently her response did not satisfy, as Peyton said, "_That's it? That's all you're going to tell me?"_

Brooke laughed. "Well, I don't know what else you want me to tell you," she said. "We had dinner, we walked on the pier, and we talked. We talked a lot. Got to know each other a little bit."

"_Good, good. Anything else?"_

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Ugh…you are not going to stop until you get every last detail, are you?"

"_Nope! So you might as well just tell me everything. Did he kiss you?"_

Brooke smiled again. The image of Lucas standing in front of her on the front porch flashed in her mind again. She remembered she had found his obvious nervousness as he'd stood there with hands in his pockets to be quite adorable. She had also appreciated that he hadn't been too pushy or tried to force anything. And when they both had finally leaned in to one another, it had been electric, their lips together. It had made her heart race.

"Oh yeah…" Brooke answered. "He kissed me alright."

Brooke pressed her finger to her lips while she recalled the memory of that moment. "It was amazing. He is amazing."

"_Yeah?"_

Brooke could hear the smile in Peyton's voice.

"Yeah…" Brook shook her head and continued. "I don't know what it is, Peyton. But there's just something about him. I can't explain it."

"_That's great, Brooke. Really. I'm glad you had a great night."_

"Me too."

"_I take it you guys are going out again?"_

"Well, we haven't really decided when, but yeah. We both want to go out again."

"_Well, you'd better let me know when you do. Just because we live in different states now doesn't mean you stop sharing with your best friend."_

Brooke chuckled.

"You know I'll tell you," she said. "But look, I'm on my way to pick up Kenz from my cousin's, so I've got to let you go."

"_Okay."_

"_I'll talk to you later."_

"Bye." Brooke shook her head, smiling as she ended the call.

* * *

"Oh nice one!" Lucas cheered when his daughter kicked her soccer ball toward him. "Have you been practicing with another dad?"

Cady chuckled. After her father kicked the ball back to her, and her to him again, Cady looked up at her father and spoke.

"Where did you and your friend go last night, Daddy?"

Lucas looked down at the ball when he kicked it back.

"Just to dinner," he answered. "We ate down at the pier and talked. Then we took a walk, and then I took her home."

"Did you kiss her?" Cady asked in a sing-song voice, smiling.

Lucas placed one hand on his hip and the other he pointed at Cady with his brow furrowed, and he asked, "What do you know about kissing?"

Cady cocked her head and placed a hand on her hip. "C'mon, Dad," she said. "I'm eight."

"Yeah, that's exactly my point. I'm not sure I like that you know anything about kissing. It worries me."

"_I'm _not kissing anyone, Dad. That's gross! But I know what kissing is."

"That still doesn't make me feel any better. And you'd better not be kissing anyone for at least another 20 years, maybe 30."

"So did you kiss your friend?" Cady asked again.

Lucas smiled now, feeling himself blush in slight embarrassment.

"Maybe," he said. He watched his daughter's expression change from amusement to excitement as she reacted.

"You did kiss her! Daddy and Brooke sittin' in a tree," Cady sang, moving her hips side to side as she did. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Ha, ha, very funny," Lucas interjected. He caught the ball under his foot and he picked it up. He motioned for Cady to follow him over to their picnic spot, on a blanket set up underneath a tree. Cady sat down in his lap.

"Are you tired already?" she asked.

"Nah," Lucas replied. "I just want to sit for a while."

Cady sighed. "Sitting is boring, Dad."

"Okay. How about we sit and talk? Just for a few minutes."

"About what?"

"Well, there's something I want to ask you."

"What?"

Lucas hesitated. He looked at her small face when he spoke. "Do you remember yesterday when you wanted to go out on my date with me? I told you I needed to go by myself to get to know Brooke."

Cady nodded.

Lucas swallowed before he continued. "Well, I should have asked you this then and I didn't, but…are you okay that I went out with Brooke?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…would it be okay with you if I keep going out with Brooke? If I get to know her? Are you comfortable with me seeing Brooke, spending more time with her?"

Cady shrugged. "I guess so."

Lucas placed a hand on Cady's shoulder.

"Cady, sweetheart," he spoke slowly. "You can tell me how you really feel. I want you to tell me. I like Brooke and I'd like to keep seeing her, but I won't if it is too strange for you. I want to know how you feel."

Cady appeared to be in deep thought for the next minute or so. She looked back at her father then when she spoke.

"You said yesterday that my mommy would want you to be happy, right?"

Lucas nodded slowly. "I think she would, yes."

"Well, I think if you really like Brooke, then you should keep going out with her 'cause she will make you happy. I want you to be happy too, Dad. You deserve it."

Lucas smiled. He felt tears swelling his eyes at his daughter's words. She was so wise, and so incredible compassionate at only eight years old. He leaned in to hug her and he said, "I love you so much, Cady."

"I love you too, Daddy."


End file.
